05 Aug Like a Bird

Recently, I watched a hummingbird fly and flit around not too far from where I was outside one morning, praying and seeking God. I watched it effortlessly move from tree to tree, from flower to flower, and was instantly reminded of Matthew 6, where Jesus invites us to “Consider the birds of the air…”, and so I did, and discovered a simple, but fresh insight:

Our Heavenly Father loves us like He loves the birds, and yet unlike the birds.

How so?

Birds, Jesus says, “do not sow or reap, nor do they gather into barns” (Matthew 6:26).

In other words, he is saying, the value of a bird is not in what they can produce. As a matter of fact, birds produce nothing, he points out. They don’t make a product, make a sale, lead a team or show up as a boss or an employee.

They aren’t loved for what they can do for God, they are just loved because they are made by God.

Jesus is saying, our Heavenly Father loves us like He loves these birds—not for what we can do, but just because He has created us!

And yet, Jesus goes on to ask, “Are you not worthy much more than they?”

Of course the answer is, “Yes”. We are worth more to the Father’s heart than a bird. If he cares for a creature which doesn’t even produce anything, how much more will He care for us in our circumstances and challenges?

And He will—because He loves us like He loves the birds, and yet unlike how He loves the birds.

And to take a little deeper look into how we can encounter God in all our difficulties, we will begin to take a final 4 week look at the final section of the book of Acts, calling it “The Trial of Your Life.”

No matter who you are or where you come from, you’re either in the middle of some kind of trial or will face one in the future! We hope that this look at both the triumphs and trials of the apostle Paul in the book of Acts will give you courage to face “The Trial of Your Life”, and bring you face to face for God’s heart for you.

See you Sunday.

Morgan