Faith

Porcupines or Eagles?

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Proverbs 15:31 ESV

Have you ever watched little birds being shoved out of the nest when they are ready to go out on their own? The chicks like being comfy, just hanging around waiting for mom to bring them food. But comfort is not their mother’s goal. She knows that for them to survive, they will need to learn to fly. Just as that mother eagle pushes her little chicks from the nest, God sometimes uses criticism that others are leveling at us to nudge us out of our comfort zone.

In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics there were many who criticized Simone Biles for withdrawing from some of her events. What they did not realize was that the fear of not living up to other people’s expectations had put so much pressure on Simone’s mind, that she couldn’t focus. Her fear while performing endangered not only her winning any medal, but even her physical safety. Later Simone went on to win more medals and ended her career as the most decorated female American gymnast on the planet! Now, most of us will never be Olympians, but we like Simone, we need to learn that the secret of success is to accept the fact that we are not perfect. In fact, it is perfectly normal to be imperfect! For me, usually, my first reaction to correction or criticism is to bristle like a porcupine, but I have learned that sometimes our greatest detractors can also be the ones who motivate us to fly. We need to remind ourselves that God created us to be eagles and not porcupines. So instead of bristling our quills like a porcupine under attack, we need to just start flapping our wings. Remember that flying even a few feet off the ground is something no porcupine will ever do! When we learn to just relax and listen to correction, then God can begin teaching us how to fly. Then one day when we least expect it, He will help us to spread our wings and fly fearlessly farther and higher than we ever imagined!

Photo by Frans van Heerden on Pexels.com

Quiet Like a Child

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But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 131 2-3 ESV

Psalm 131 is one of the fifteen Psalms titled, “Songs of Ascent” It is supposed that these were sung by pilgrims, making their way from all over Israel towards Jerusalem for the great festivals prescribed by God in the law of Moses. Since this Psalm appears near the end of that group, maybe at this point the temple is already in sight, or at least the outer walls of the city of Jerusalem. This unknown author was not someone of high rank. We don’t know his exact circumstances, but maybe it was as he paused to rest on his journey, that he was inspired to write. “I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother. ” Then taking a deep breath, he thrills in wonder at the magnificent sight of the Holy City, lying just ahead. Then a simple truth, comes like a gentle rain on a parched field. I imagine him taking a deep breath, thrilling in wonder at the magnificent sight of the Hoy City, lying just ahead. Though he wrote these words thousands of years ago, He is a lot like us. He, just a simple worshiper of Jehovah: has been not only commanded to appear, but God has invited him to come. This man, who is not a king entering the city gates in triumph, or a priest bringing a lamb for God’s altar, is accepted and even welcomed. Then he says, that, just as a weaned child rests upon His mother’s lap waiting for the new adult food that she will feed him, he realizes that God has something new for him as well. This morning, as he has quieted his hungry soul, he remembers David’s Psalm that tells him that God has prepared a banquet table in the wilderness and is waiting just for him. That truth awakening in Him such a joy, the writer knows that he must tell everyone! “O Israel, hope in the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore!”

Steadfast Love and the Prodigal Son

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The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

  • God’s love never ceases: It has never changed in the past and will never change in the future. God doesn’t love us more when we succeed or do a good deed, and He doesn’t love us less when we fail, or fall into sin. We come home to God by believing He is loving and willing to accept us. God’s love is like the father’s love in the parable of the prodigal son. Just like that Father, God is still willing to accept us and include us into His family, when we leave our own way of doing things and come home to him.
  • God’s mercies never come to an end: When God forgives us, He adopts us into His family. He isn’t just being kind to us on a one-time basis. He will not wake up tomorrow and say, “Okay that’s it. The visit is over. Pack your bags and move out!” When God receives us into His family He says, “This my son, was dead, but now he is alive!” You see, even when the prodigal was spiritually dead to his father, he was still considered a son. Now he has come home, that dead relationship became a living one. Our living relationship to God begins by our believing in our Father’s mercy because of the cross of Jesus. The blood of Jesus has paid the penalty of our sins forever and we don’t have to be afraid that God will ever change His mind.
  • Great is Your Faithfulness: We learn to be faithful to others, by seeing how faithful God has been to us. The prodigal came home thinking that he was going to work for his dad and live in the servant’s quarters. But his father had a different plan. He was given a welcome home party and then invited to come live back home. In that same way, we don’t work for God all week while living in the servant’s quarters and then go visit our dad once a week at His place on Sunday. Just like the father in the parable, God’s plan is for us to wake up every morning in His house, come down to breakfast at His table and spend our day, every day with Him! What an amazing, loving and faithful God we serve!