Our journal of what we pray is our sojourn of life along the narrow way, even the old paths, submitting to the Bible as a light unto both.

Month: July 2025

Providence’s Perpetuation Provisions: The 2025 Turkey and Chicken Chick Gusher

It started with a chicken mommy hatching out some turkey chicks. Since turkey hatchings were more rare for us some years ago, we actually purposely tried that, since chickens were better sitters, and there were more of them. Well, I believe lots of them died when we tried that, and we thought perhaps the Lord was chastising us for trying to force something in a way that He hadn’t set up.

But, this year, He seemed to take things that way, and so we let it ride, with the idea that, we put that hen and her turklets (ie. like chicklets for turkeys :D) in the summer kitchen, and if a turkey mommy hatched some out, we’d swap her in with them.

We put that first mommy in the summer kitchen. Another chicken mommy hatched out turkey chicks, so we put them in there. I thought we had tried the two chicken mommies in there, but if I remember right, that didn’t work out too well, so we stuck with the first one.

Then, a turkey hen did hatch out some turkey chicks, and so we did swap her in.

And then, it all broke loose! Chicken mommies, turkey mommies, hatching out every which way, all kinds of turkey and chicken chicks, and so, we just kept shuttling them into the summer kitchen with the rest of them.

One day, I had left one of the storm door open and the screen-ish door loose, and I scared that turkey hen in the summer kitchen enough to where she pushed her way out, and so, that was the end of mommies for all the young in there.

But, they kept growing, and we kept adding. And graciously only a few died along the way.

Just recently, the biggest ones were big enough to start shuttling into the barn at night for them to begin their lives outside.

And now, here’s a video of all those collecting and shuttling chicks into the summer kitchen. I know it’s long, but I wanted to document every one because to us, every one is a gift from God. Still, the avalanche starts around 6 minutes in, and then the last 3 minutes is the final scene of them at the point where it was time to start moving the largest of them into the barn:

We thank the Lord for His provisions — He really was extra gracious with them all!

— David

David’s Digest: A Closer Look at Jesus’ Response to the Devil’s Temptations

I believe it was the last time I read through these that I wondered if I could see any common thread amongst each of Jesus’ responses.

Here is Matthew’s account, with the responses highlighted:

Matthew 4:1-11:

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

So, here they are again:

  • It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
  • It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
  • Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

I had already learned in the past that Jesus used scripture to reply, and you can see that with each having “It is written” in it.

But was there anything else?

In looking at the 2nd and 3rd ones, they have a similar “Thou shalt”, one being positive and the other negative (ie. “Thou shalt not”). Well, that was interesting, and seemed pretty clear and direct responses.

But, Jesus’ response about hunger and stones and bread was confusing to me. It didn’t seem to join with the other replies, and I wondered why He didn’t use a “Thou shalt” there. And was this just some answer that spiritual things are more important than physical? That’s kind of what that answer seemed to me to be.

And then I wondered, where was the “not bread alone” written that was a reference for Christ? Well, I found it to be in Deuteronomy. Here it is:

Deuteronomy 8:3 – “3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

Hmm…interesting. There it is, but it still didn’t really shed any light.

And that’s when I stepped back and said, let’s see what the context is. Here’s the section:

Deuteronomy 8:1-6:

1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.

2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.

6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

And there it was! The context was keeping God’s commandments!

Here’s a paraphrase recap:

  • Do all the commandments I give you.
  • Remember how I tried you in the wilderness to see if you would keep My commandments.
  • How that testing was hunger, but I provided manna to eat so you’d know what comes out of My mouth is what man lives by.
  • I took care of you and chastened you.
  • So given all of that, keep My commandments, walk in My ways, and fear Me.

It seemed apparent to me then that “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord” from verse 3 were His commandments.

And now, it all tied back together to Christ’s responses to the devil:

  • Man lives by keeping God’s commandments
  • Keep the commandment of not tempting God
  • Keep the commandment of worshiping only Him

But in application to ourselves, I believe the inference from this is what our response to Satan’s temptations should be,

No, God says this. I’m going to obey God.

And after all, what really are the devil’s temptations but temptation to sin? And what is sin but not keeping God’s commandments? (1 John 3:4)

But then, we need to know what God’s commandments are and how He would have us live and obey Him, and the only source of that is His word, the Bible. So, we need to be diligent then in our studies of it.

May God give us this desire to be obedient to Him over all temptations to sin — our own carnal man’s, the devil’s, and those from the world. May the Lord grant us an understanding of His commandments and then the graces to indeed be obedient. And may He grant we do so wholeheartedly from our hearts out of love for Him!

John 14:15 – “If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:21 – “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

1 John 2:3-5 – “3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1 John 5:2-3 – “ By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

— David