Of Parrots and Eagles, Part Two
As we discussed yesterday, the church is overrun with parrots and virtually devoid of eagles. Too harsh? You decide.
Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
As we discussed yesterday, the church is overrun with parrots and virtually devoid of eagles. Too harsh? You decide.
Parrot people are much different than eagle thinkers. They like to stay in the same cage, pick over the same pan full of seeds, and listen to the same words over and over again until they can say them with ease.
We can make an idol out of anything or anyone in life. A church building can become an idol to us, when all the while it is simply a place to meet and worship our Lord—nothing more. Your child can become your idol...in subtle ways you can so adore that little one that your whole life revolves around the child.
It happens today. You can make an idol out of anything or anyone in life. Often it’s the good things that slither up unnoticed, and soon you discover that they have first place in your heart.
That’s possible, for a mist in the pulpit will invariably cause a fog in the pew. Far too many preachers are specializing in “longhorn” sermons—a point here and a point there with a lot of bull in between.
Both adversity and prosperity confront our equilibrium, but prosperity is perhaps the more challenging test. Today we look at another biblical person who rose to the top and kept his balance.
Two extreme tests exist that disturb our balance in life. Each has its own set of problems. On one side is adversity.
In the now-or-later battle for priorities, it’s clear where the secret lies. Let’s take care of the biggies now—today. It’s amazing how the incidentals will fade away when we focus fully on the essentials. And that’s impossible unless we put the important ahead of the urgent.
Maybe you’re thinking, “A name isn’t that important...what I’m interested in is his soul.” Listen, as I mentioned yesterday, one of the keys that unlocks a person’s soul is the realization that you are interested enough to call him or her by name!
Remembering is a skill. Sure, there are those who have been blessed with a good memory. But they are exceptions. For most of us, remembering is a skill, like speaking in public, singing, reading, thinking, or swimming. We improve at a skill by hard work—direct effort applied with a good deal of concentration, mixed with proper know-how.