OceanSide church of Christ

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An Incredible Creation of God

By: Dalton Gilreath

 

               I have always been fascinated by dolphins. God created these animals with extraordinary intelligence, beauty, and a playful attitude. They have many characteristics I find interesting. For example, dolphins each have their own “name”. Every dolphin has a distinct whistle that reveals their identity much like we have names. As you may know, dolphins make a lot of noise. However, they do not have vocal chords. Instead, they make all their sounds, including their whistle, through their blowhole.

 

               Of all the unique characteristics of a dolphin, the most intriguing is the way they sleep. Dolphins sleep with one eye open at all times. In fact, studies show that only half of their brain sleeps at any given time. So the dolphin is always aware of its surroundings. God created the dolphin with an innate ability to always be watchful. We can learn a great lesson from these creatures.

 

               When our Lord was in the garden of Gethsemane He stepped aside with Peter, James, and John. Before He left them to pray He told them, “…tarry ye here, and watch with me” (Matt. 26:38 KJV). However, when He returned from His prayer He found the three sleeping. Speaking to Peter He said, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (40-41). Clearly Jesus was not condemning the practice of sleeping. Instead, He was confronting their lack of vigilance. By sleeping instead of being watchful, they put themselves at risk of being overtaken by the adversary.

 

               We as Christians, like the dolphin and these apostles, must always have one eye open. We must not ever fall asleep spiritually. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. The key word in that text is vigilant. Peter tells us what Jesus  told His inner circle of Apostles. We must always be aware of our surroundings in order to avoid the lion’s attack. If we let ourselves sleep spiritually we will be vulnerable to his attack, and he will take advantage of it. We must be aware of the influences with which we associate ourselves (1 Cor. 15:33). We must be watchful of what we allow in our homes through the television, computer, music, and more (Matt. 15:15-20). We must be vigilant when it comes to doing the  work of the Lord and not slack (Heb 6:10-12, Matt 25:14-46). As the popular saying goes, “If we give Satan an inch, he will become our ruler”. May God help each of us be ever watchful over our souls.