THE DEFENDER—TURNS THEM UPSIDE DOWN!

 “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.” Psalm 68:5; Psalm 146:9. (NKJV).

“Pass the pepper, please.”

“Pepper? Of course, my lady.”

“Thank you.” Six-year-old Annie reached for the pepper shaker.

“Allow me.” Sitting at her right, Bubba shook a generous amount on her grits.

“At your service.” George, on her left, grabbed the shaker, gave it a hard shake. The top fell, her food now black with pepper. 

“Something wrong, Annie?” Head dipped, her bottom lip quivered. Uncle looked at her plate, then his sons.

“Bubba, pass me Annie’s plate.” He divided the grits. “This half's for your supper, Bubba, and George, the other half for you. Eat all of it.” He served Annie a fresh plate.

“Thank you, Uncle.” She looked at him, her eyes glistening. 

 
“Grandfather, why were the boys so mean to Annie? Hadn’t she just come to live with them?”

“Yes. Her mother had passed away a few weeks before." His lips tightened. "Let me assure you, the boys treated their new sister with kindness after that.”

“How do you know?” Timmy tilted his head.

“Because I'm a quick learner. Remember what the family called me?”

“Bubba. You’re that Bubba?” Grandfather nodded. “Um, were you turned upside down?”

“Better believe it and I’ll never forget it. The Lord takes care of widows and orphans. Woe to them that take advantage of them. I’m proof of that!”

Timmy grinned. “I thought you were perfect.”

“Now you know, son. Only one holds that title--the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Your father knew how to make things right, huh?”

Grandfather grinned. “He took the action of two smart-aleck boys and turned it into a life-changing story--“

“That keeps on telling. I guess our Defender the Lord Jesus can always turn the bad upside down.”

“You're right about that, son. He can and will always be our Defender.” He high-fived his grandson.

Kingdom Thinking. In this upside-down world, the Lord takes care of widows and orphans. My mother's aunt and uncle adopted her after she lost her mother, welcomed her into their family. Our Lord does the same. He adopted me, promises never to leave nor forsake me. He loves me with an everlasting love. He offers the same to you. Won’t you come to Him?

KITTENS NEED LOVE!

 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17. (NKJV).

“How do I know God loves me?” Timmy crossed his arms, chin up.

Grandfather tilted his head. “I love you.”

“You’re supposed to.” 

He leaned back in his porch rocker, forehead wrinkled.

“Timmy, did you know Sara rescued a kitten?” 

“Nope.”

“One day on her drive home, she saw a paper bag tossed from a truck into the medium of a busy thoroughfare. Wind from passing cars buffeted it. The bag opened. Out popped the head of a kitten.” 

“What happened?” Timmy leaned forward.

“She maneuvered into the medium, grabbed the bag, and found a terrified kitten. After treatment at the vet's office, she took the kitten home.

“Now, that kitten doesn’t know much about love but he knows Sara saved him and he totally trusts her.”

“Wow. How can anyone be so mean?”

 Grandfather sighed. “I was like Sara’s kitten. Lost in the world, the traffic whizzing by. One day, the Lord Jesus stepped out of His heavenly home, came to earth as a lowly man to rescue me, a sinner. He picked me up from the world’s traffic. I don’t understand why, but I am eternally grateful.”

“Am I one of His kittens, Grandfather?”

“You better believe it! And He loves you.” Grandfather hugged Timmy. “Even more than I.” 

“Wow. God must love me a whole lot 'cause I know you love me.” He looked at Grandfather. “If you love me and God loves me, Maybe I can rescue kittens, too.”

“What kind of kittens?”

“Guess I'll rescue real kittens--four-legged ones and maybe two-legged ones.” He grinned. “All of us kittens need to know the Lord Jesus loves us--“

“You got that right, son. All His kittens need His love.” He cleared his throat, pulled his grandson into a hug.   

Kingdom Thinking. Caught in the same predicament as the little kitten, the worldly traffic roared by, twisting and banging my life bag. The Lord Jesus saved me. He loves me with an everlasting love and promises never to leave me. He offers the same to you. Won’t you come?