FEATHERS FOR WORMS

  “A lark, singing in the high branches of a tree, saw a traveler walking through the forest carrying a mysterious little black box.  The lark flew down on to the traveler’s shoulder and asked: “What do you have in the little black box?”  “Worms,” the traveler replied.  “Are they for sale,?” asked the lark.  The traveler replied, “Yes, and very cheap, too. The price is only one feather.”

  The lark thought a moment.  “I must have a million feathers, most of them quite small.  Surely, I will never miss one of them.  Here is an opportunity to get a good dinner for no work at all.”  So he told the man that he would buy one.
He searched under his wing for a tiny, tiny feather.  He winced a bit as he pulled it out but the size and quality of the worm made him quickly forget the pain.  High up in the tree he began to sing as beautifully as before.  The next day, he saw the same man and once again he exchanged a feather for a worm.  What a wonderful way to get a dinner, and no effort at all. 

  The lark continued to do this day after day.  He lost a feather each day and each loss seemed to hurt less and less.  To begin with, he had a lot of feathers, but as the days passed, he found it more difficult to fly.  Finally, after the loss of one of his primary feathers, he could no longer reach the top of the tree let alone fly into the sky.
Indeed, he could no more than flutter a few feet in the air and was forced to seek his food with the quarrelsome, bickering sparrows.  The man with the worms came no more for there were no feathers to pay for worms.  The lark no longer sang because he was so very ashamed of his fallen state.

  This is how unworthy habits possess us. First, painfully, then more easily, until at last we find ourselves stripped of that that lets us soar and sing.”                                           Selected.

  The devil promises us much but is unable to deliver anything but a life of disappointment.  Temptation is not a sin, yielding to temptation is sin.  Why do we yield?  Because, as the Bible states, “there is pleasure in sin.”  But, what we forget or chose to ignore is that it is,  “only for a season.”  Such sinful pleasure is short lived.  We may chose to live any way we desire, but we need to consider the consequences for such actions. Live for Christ and have abundant and eternal life.

THE ETERNAL INSOMNIA OF GOD

  In the story,”The Cockpit,”  the Queen comments scornfully on the New Testament phrase, “The Peace of God.”  She says, “As I lie sleepless, I think of the eternal insomnia of God.”  Her maid is shocked by this remark. But, the Queen goes on to say, “I only quote the Bible, God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Ah it is the pain of God, not His peace that passeth understanding.”

  Can we comprehend the pain of God?  From the time when evil first entered the heart of man, human history has been one long, dark night of pain.  Fear of life and uncertainty in death, has been the unhappy nightmare of human kind.  Life is forever trying to make us lose our nerve.  In the unavoidable experiences of sorrow and loss which come to mankind, the constant temptation is to doubt the existence, the wisdom and goodness of God.  In the midst of the immeasurable suffering of mankind, our hearts are filled with doubt.  Such questions as: does God really care, is He active and at work in our midst, does He have a purpose and plan for our lives? 

  Read what Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:4-8  “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will – to the praise of His glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him,we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

  Notice in the text, that God made a choice, He wanted to have a family.  He determined ahead of time that  people could be adopted into His family through His son, Jesus.  Jesus said, “Whosoever will may come.”  People may come, ‘just as they are’ but they cannot stay that way. The adopted children must become more and more like the Father.  God sent His son, Jesus, to show mankind how He wanted all of His children to be.  We are to be like Jesus, holy and pure.  God purchased us through the death of His son. He forgives us our sins.  He lavished on us His grace, mercy undeserved. 

  How can we know all of this and think for one moment that God does not care?  He made us, knows what is best for us, and wants each one of us to be a part of His family.  God is wide awake seeking us for His own.

  It was a terrible night on the Sea of Galilee, the lake was lashed to furry and the boat, with the disciples and Jesus in it, struggle in the waves. The twelve disciples did all they could to save themselves and Jesus.
All this time, Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat oblivious to the roaring storm.  In their fright, the disciples awakened Jesus.  They are critical of Him, for they cried out, “Lord, save us. We’re going to drown.”  Then, they learned a much needed lesson.  Jesus rebuked the winds and the waves, and there was a great calm.  Luke 8:23-27
  That night the disciples learned, that there is someone stronger in human experience than life’s waves and storms.  There is the Christ who rules the waves and the storms. That there is a God, revealed to us in Christ, who is not asleep.  God loves you and wants you to know Him, so He can fill you with peace and give you real life – forever. 

      God neither slumbers nor sleeps.  You can count on Him.

ALONG CAME A SPIDER

  A Mother Goose Nursery rhyme goes, “Little Miss Muffet set on a Tuffet, eating her curds and whey, along came a spider and sat down beside her and frightened Miss Muffet away.”
We have recited this nursery rhyme many times thinking it cute and funny.  Yet, as is often the case our humor indirectly speaks of our true feelings  Herein is expressed something which is common to all of humanity and that is FEAR.
None of us carry on a normal existence for any period of time without encountering the reality of fear. One of President F.D. Roosevelt’s famous sayings during the depression years was, “Only  thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  Fear distorts life and undermines physical and spiritual strength.

  Fear in the Biblical sense carries with it at least two meanings.  Especially in the Old Testament, when the person is admonished to fear, it is talking about awe, reverence, respect, particularly toward God. For instance, in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
But, as we use the word fear, and as it is used in the New Testament; it means dread, to be afraid, frightened out of one’s senses, anxious and uncertain.  Too often, this kind of fear overwhelms and controls our lives.  Too often, we have come to believe that fear is a burden which must be borne without hope of escape.

  Yet, listen to Jesus who said frequently, “be not afraid.”  Jesus spoke these words to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, to the disciples on the deck of a storm tossed ship, to the mourners at the death of the daughter of Jairus and to the disciples as Jesus faced His own death, He said, “Let not your heart be trouble, neither let it be afraid.”   There was nothing that Jesus felt called upon to challenge more frequently than fear.
Listen to God’s Word in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self -discipline.”  We understand that God does not give us fear.  Rather, God gives us three attitudes which will help us to conquer our fears: 

1. A sound mind.    We are to use a clear mind to dispel our fears. Much of our fear is exaggerated anxieties or the refusal to face actual facts. Fears can be overcome by facing the issue squarely and dealing with it clearly.
2. A spirit of love.     I John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.”
We can  resolve our fears by focusing on God’s immeasurable love for us, and then by allowing Him to love others through us. Love is open-eyed, sees clearly, so is not afraid.
3. A divine power.  God gives us courage, strength, to face whatever may come, trusting Him.  The only known cure for fear is faith.  Fight your fears with faith.

  God’s word teaches us of that Eternal City, “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.”  Revelations 21:25   An unguarded city, a night-less day, what more perfect symbols of a people freed from fear.     Hear Jesus say to you, “Be not afraid.”

ALL WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN–

  All want to go to Heaven, but don’t want to die to get there. 
It is interesting that all want to go to the Promised Land, but don’t want to go through the wilderness to obtain it. Our arrival in Heaven will not be by accident.  We will obtain it on purpose.  Discipline, self-denial, sacrifice, obedience to Christ will enable us to enter into the presence of God. There are two roads, one leads away from the Father, the other leads to the Father.  God sets before us life or death.  Choose Christ and life, not sin and death. The Bible clearly teaches that no one goes to the Father except through His Son, Jesus the Christ.  The disciple Thomas asked Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:5-6 
We do not go it alone.  God seeks to help us by His Spirit (that is Holy) through the Word.  God gives us encouragement and strength through His family, the Church.  We need to help one another on this all important journey.

  In Thornton Wilder’s play, “Our Town,” one of the characters says: “I don’t care what they say with their mouths, everybody knows that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses, and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t stars…everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings.  All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.” 

  That is true–“Everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal.”  Even Solomon stated as recorded in Ecclesiastes 3:11; “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.”  That something is you, your soul.  Prepare yourself now to live eternally with God.  Believe yourself to be a stranger and pilgrim here in this world.  Just know that this world is but a time for preparation for the next.

  Take to heart the songs: “We are marching to Zion, the beautiful city of God,” “I am bound for the Promised Land,” “There’s a land that is fairer than day,” “O Lord, I am on my journey, O Lord, I am on my journey, O Lord, I am on my journey home.”

  George Mark Elliott wrote a small book titled: “What on Earth are You Doing?”  May I add, “For Heaven’s Sake?”  What on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake? is the real question for each one of us.  Our answer should be, I am preparing for Home.  I am not home yet, but I am going there, trusting in Jesus.

“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold.
I’d rather be His than have riches untold.
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hands.
Than to be a king of a vast domain or be held in sins dread sway.
I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.”

  Keep on keeping on faithfully for Him.  JESUS will take you Home.