Monday, March 20, 2017

Where Are Your Feet this Morning? Are You Land Locked or Free as an Eagle to Soar?


“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Isa. 40:31).

Hey Gang:  Wow, what a beautiful morning.  Thank  you Lord!   The sun is out brightly, the temperature is in the mid-seventies, a nice breeze is rustling the trees and God his so graciously supplied our daily bread.  Again, I say, Thank you Lord!  Oh, by the way I am writing this from Florida, while sitting beside the swimming pool.

A bird just flew by.  Did you ever say, “Thank you Lord” for these magnificent handicrafts of God?  I wonder where he is going.  Do you think God has a plan or purpose for him today?  I think He must.

Roger Meyer, a noted writer about God’s neatly created beings, wrote the following very descriptive words about birds: “God created birds on the fifth day of creation.” (Gen. 1:20).  He gave them beautiful feathers, the ability to build nests without hands, and the marvelous ability to fly.  To some He gave beautiful songs to sing, and to some charming (sometimes humorous) mating dances.  Many migrate awesome distances and possess extremely acute vision.  A few can even talk and mimic sounds, and some exhibit a noteworthy intelligence – proving that they are anything but “bird brains”.  And, O yes, many species mate for life.”

The Bible tells us they are far more than just beautiful and awe inspiring.  All throughout history, God used the feathered friends in various ways in dealing with mankind.  Noah gathered birds into the ark.  After the rains ceased, he opened the hatch of the ark and sent a raven to scout for dry land; later he sent a dove.  When he departed from the ark Noah considered the bird important enough to be included in his sacrifice of gratitude to Father God (Gen.8:20).

When the children of Israel complained in the wilderness about not having meat to eat, God brought innumerable quail to the camp (Numbers 11:31-32).  God fed the prophet Elijah by ordering ravens to bring him food morning and evening, while he hid in the wilderness (12 Kings 17).

Jesus used birds in His parables.  He reminded His disciples that the’ birds of the air do not sow or reap, yet God feeds them’ and knows precisely where they are every minute of their life. (Matt. 6:26).  Jesus told his disciples to be as ‘shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves’ (Matt. 10:16).  In Mathew 10:29-30 Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent?  And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from Your Father”.  Christ used the analogy of a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings for protection to show how much He deeply cares for you and me (Matt. 23:37).

After the fires in Yellowstone, a ranger came across a mother bird that had been killed in the fire.  When he tried to move the bird’s remains, it came apart and two, tiny, live chicks were found protected by the mother’s body; she had given her life to save her chicks.  Is that not the way of God?  Does Jesus not wrap His arms around His children, and say, “Here, let Me take your place on the cross”.

So, my friends, when you see one of God’s feathered friends soaring in the skies, keep in mind that is precisely what God wants for you – to be freed from the burdens of this earth’s existence and to come and “soar with Him”.   One of the many neat sayings in the Bible is “The battle is the Lord’s” (2 Chron. 20:15).

Blessings,
  
Gramps

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