Annoying One Another……or…..Loving One Another!
July 7, 2010 by Pastor David
Filed under Blog
On Sheila’s birthday, we (our family + Edyie (my mother-in-law) and I were given the opportunity to be out on the Chain of Lakes for the afternoon. What a blessing it was. The boat was fast and fun to drive and we did nothing but relax for a whole day. One of the most incredible things about the day occurred while we were out on the lake. Edyie turned to me and asked me – “What kind of bird is that over there?” I glanced – and very briefly as I was driving the boat and replied in my best son-in-law voice: “A big one! And having earlier seen some hawks and knowing that there were hawks around I suggested without really looking that it was probably a large hawk.
Fortunately Sheila looked again at the bird and said: “That’s no hawk – that is a Bald Eagle.” I shut down the boat and looked again and sure enough it was an eagle, a majestic, beautiful bald eagle. As we watched this beautiful bird we found its nest – a huge nest and its mate. We watched the birds for a while, awed by their size and beauty and then rode on and enjoyed our time on the lake.
On our way in for the day we made sure we had some time to stop and look at these wonderful creatures again. This time we were watching the female. We watched this time a strange quirk in nature. This proud female eagle was being pestered by this smaller – sparrow like bird. One time the eagle even flew off her perch to get away from this little pest. But the little pest kept after her. After coming to rest on this long branch – the little bird landed too. It kept coming closer and closer and making its annoying sound. Then all of a sudden the eagle had had enough – she reached when the little bird darted towards her and caught her in her beak. All that was left of the little bird were some feathers that floated down to the ground. The message here was clear – enough is enough! The moral of the story was if you are going to be annoying – you are going to be destroyed. There was an amazing moment of silence in the boat as we watched the feathers float to the land below. The little pest of a bird didn’t have to die -
I wonder if that isn’t true in real life – that being a pest, that being annoying, always harping doesn’t really always end in disaster? We smiled and moved on after watching these glorious birds giving thanks for God’s amazing world.
Remember God calls us to love one another -
See you soon in God’s house
Your Pastor Dude!
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
A Vision of a Measuring Line 7 The Lord showed me a vision of himself standing beside a wall and holding a string with a weight tied to the end of it. The string and weight had been used to measure the straightness of the wall. 8 Then he asked, “Amos, what do you see?” “A measuring line,” I answered. The Lord said, “I'm using this measuring line to show that my people Israel don't measure up, and I won't forgive them any more. 9 Their sacred places will be destroyed, and I will send war against the nation of King Jeroboam.” d Jeroboam: Jeroboam II, who ruled Israel B.C. Amos and Amaziah 10 Amaziah the priest at Bethel sent this message to King Jeroboam of Israel, “Amos is plotting against you in the very heart of Israel. Our nation cannot put up with his message for very long. 11 Here is what he is saying: ‘Jeroboam will be put to death, and the people will be taken to a foreign country.’ ” 12 Then Amaziah told me, “Amos, take your visions and get out! Go back to Judah and earn your living there as a prophet. 13 Don't do any more preaching at Bethel. The king worships here at our national temple.” 14 I answered: I'm not a prophet! And I wasn't trained to be a prophet. I am a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees. 15 But the Lord told me to leave my herds and preach to the people of Israel. 16 And here you are, telling me not to preach!
WP-Bible plugin, Luke 10:25-32Luke 10:25-32
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
The Good Samaritan 25 ; . An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?” 26 Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?” 27 a ; b . The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’ ” 28 . Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.” 29 But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbors?” 30 Jesus replied: As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. 32 Later a temple helper w temple helper: A man from the tribe of Levi, whose job it was to work around the temple. came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.
WP-Bible plugin, Psalm 82, Colossians 1:1-14Colossians 1:1-14
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
1 1 From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is also a follower. 2 To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ. I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace! A Prayer of Thanks 3 Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all of God's people, 5 because what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope when you believed the true message, which is the good news. 6 The good news is spreading all over the world with great success. It has spread in that same way among you, ever since the first day you learned the truth about God's wonderful kindness 7 ;. from our good friend Epaphras. He works together with us for Christ and is a faithful worker for you. a you: Some manuscripts have “us.” 8 He is also the one who told us about the love that God's Spirit has given you. The Person and Work of Christ 9 We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. 10 Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. 11 His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy. 12 I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you a you: Some manuscripts have “us.” have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.
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