Your Daily Devotional for December 1, 2006

 

December 1, 2006

 

 

What Are You Missing?

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

 

Isaiah 40:31

 

While walking through the forest one day, a man found a young eagle who had fallen out of his nest. He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat and behave like the chickens. One day a naturalist passed by the farm and asked why it was that the king of all birds should be confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens. The farmer replied that since he had given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, it had never learned to fly.

"Still it has the heart of an eagle," replied the naturalist, "and can surely be taught to fly." He lifted the eagle toward the sky. The eagle, however, was confused. He did not know who he was, and seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again. The naturalist took the bird to the roof of the house and tried the same method he had before.

But the eagle was afraid and jumped down once more for the chicken food. Finally the naturalist took the eagle out to a high mountain. There he held the king of the birds high above him and encouraged him again. The eagle looked around, down to the earth and up to the sky. Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble. Slowly he stretched his wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared away into the heavens.

This eagle didn’t know what he was missing as he ran around the barnyard. He didn’t know that he could be flying among the most revered birds in the animal kingdom, yet he had his head stuck to the ground looking for birdseed.

 

What is your birdseed today? What are you so focused on that you cannot receive the blessings of God? Is there something in your life that you are holding onto so tightly that God cannot fill your life with blessings?

 

Our verse today says, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” God wants to make us as one of the eagles of the air, yet sometimes we can become so focused on the things of this world that we miss the blessings of God. Most of the time we can only see what is here and now, like the birdseed. Yet God wants us to draw close to Him and receive strength from Him, and ultimately His blessings.

 

Will you let go of the cares of this world to make room for the blessings of God? Is that one thing that is holding you back more important to you than seeing God work through your life? Spend time with Christ today and give it over to Him. Let Him have whatever is holding you back. Open your life and your heart to Him and to His will for your life and let Him pour His blessings upon your life today!

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