Learning How To Fly

LEARNING HOW TO FLY?

Deut 32:9-12 For the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, 11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. 12 The LORD alone led him; no foreign god was with him.

Once upon a time there was a little mouse. The little mouse lived in great fear all the time. This fear dictated the mouse¡¦s life. He was afraid of his own shadow. He feared what might happen to him. The mouse could not learn that fear was doubt. The little mouse¡¦s fear made mountains out of molehills. Because of his fear he was very suspicious and weary of life. The little mouse wished he could be a cat, then he would not have to be afraid. One lucky day the mouse met a powerful magician. The mouse was amazed to watch the magician work. The mouse went up to the magician in great fear and asked. Please, Mr. Magician, I am so afraid, if I were a cat I would not have to fear. Could you please make me into a CAT? The magician said sure, Abra-ca-dab-bra --- and the little fearful mouse turned into a cat. The mouse, now turned cat, saw a dog and the dog caused great fear. Later, the mouse turned cat saw the magician again and said, I am so afraid, could you please turn me into a dog. I will be OK if I could just be a dog. So the magician said, Abra-ca-dab-bra, you are now a dog. The new dog was so proud. As the new dog ran through the woods, he heard a lion roar and in a geat panic, fear caused the mouse turned cat turned dog to run. The dog was shaking in fear, he knew if he could just be a lion everything would be different. The dog kept looking for the magician to add his new request, for he knew if he could become a lion he would have no fear. Finally the dog found the magician. The dog barked to the magician, please, please can you make me a lion? If I were a lion everything would be fine. The magician said, Abra-ca-dab-bra, I turn you back into a mouse. You have a mouse¡¦s heart. I could change you into anything, but you have a mouse¡¦s heart and all you will ever be is a mouse. You must learn to be satisfied. You didn¡¦t like being a mouse. You didn¡¦t like being a cat. You didn¡¦t like being a dog. You will not like being a lion. You are a mouse at heart. Abra-ca-dab-bra, be what your heart is. And the dog turn back into a mouse.

„X God takes care of His people, and though we don¡¦t always see it in such striking and noticeable ways, the Bible promises that He will take care of those who are His.

„X God¡¦s care is like the eagle caring for her young.

„X "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them and carries them on His pinions."

What a beautiful picture of how God deals with his people: a mother eagle training her young to fly.

I. The Demonstration Stage

a. The mother eagle will frequently push off from the perch where the nest is and hover above her young.

b. In response, the eaglets begin to flap their wings wildly in imitation.

i. At this stage the eaglets don¡¦t have enough feathers to fly, but they begin to develop their wing muscles.

ii. The key word here is demonstration.

c. What a great picture to describe what God has done for us through Jesus!

i. Jesus demonstrated the kind of faith and life we should be leading.

ii. A child quits crawling and learns to walk by watching adults walk around him.

iii. Romans 5:8 "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

iv. 1 Timothy 1:16 "And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life."

v. God hasn¡¦t left us to figure things out on our own.

vi. Remember when Jesus said, "If you¡¦ve seen Me, you¡¦ve seen the Father?"

vii. Jesus is the perfect example of how we should live the life of faith.

d. I wonder if we¡¦ve spend as much time as we should getting to know Jesus?