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God, Turkeys, Ducks & Eagles (gospel Snapshots)
by Roger and Eileen Himes
I have used the ’turkey, duck, and eagle’ analogy to the Christian life for quite awhile. Let me share it with you. Keep in mind that none of us are only one type of bird. We all have elements of all three in our lives.
TURKEYS are easy to spot. They have ’fire insurance,’ and know they are going to heaven, but they will never soar. They just walk about the barnyard of life, scratching for their existence. They are content to live with other turkeys and know their final destination (heaven) is sure. But they miss so much of life because of ‘religious contentment.’ As Paul says, they never see there is ‘so much more.’ DUCKS are beautiful. They fly gracefully, and have beautiful colors. They do a lot of quacking. Christians who are like ducks look good. They impress you with their knowledge, beauty and works. They know the Bible pretty well and they quack it. They are usually sin-conscious, and they are rule focused – they ‘do things by the book.’ Well, maybe they are just ‘selective legalists.’ They choose what rules and laws to apply. They don’t like the scriptures that say we should keep them all (Jam 2:10, Rom 3:10).
EAGLES live at a higher level, and this is what the gospel is all about. Eagles don’t have the need to be honored and praised (John 5:44). They don’t have all that religious stuff holding them down, so they tend to fly higher. It might be said they ‘rest’ on the air-currents of life, that originate from the throne of God. They just tend to soar with God. They know it is not them that’s important – without Christ they can do nothing (John 15:5). Eagles aren’t afraid of being used, abused, or even misunderstood. It seems like they’re oblivious to both the praise, and the condemnation of others. They don’t play ‘the blame game.’ They adapt to what happens to them. They know what happens to them isn’t half as important as how they respond to what happens to them. They are VICTORS in life, not VICTIMS of life. They don’t worry or fear – they know God’s in control and trust him to work things out for the best. Eagles view life as a journey, and the gospel as the power of God to live the best we can while on the journey. They know that life is simply Christ living in them (Gal 2:20). So they live with a real sense of thankfulness for life itself, regardless of life’s circumstances that intrude on them. They live in a sense of peace and joy that escapes other species of birds.
None of us live as eagles all of the time, but it is a good target to keep in our sights.
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You may want to try these websites for additional information
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The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!
I have used the ’turkey, duck, and eagle’ analogy to the Christian life for quite awhile. Let me share it with you. Keep in mind that none of us are only one type of bird. We all have elements of all three in our lives.
TURKEYS are easy to spot. They have ’fire insurance,’ and know they are going to heaven, but they will never soar. They just walk about the barnyard of life, scratching for their existence. They are content to live with other turkeys and know their final destination (heaven) is sure. But they miss so much of life because of ‘religious contentment.’ As Paul says, they never see there is ‘so much more.’ DUCKS are beautiful. They fly gracefully, and have beautiful colors. They do a lot of quacking. Christians who are like ducks look good. They impress you with their knowledge, beauty and works. They know the Bible pretty well and they quack it. They are usually sin-conscious, and they are rule focused – they ‘do things by the book.’ Well, maybe they are just ‘selective legalists.’ They choose what rules and laws to apply. They don’t like the scriptures that say we should keep them all (Jam 2:10, Rom 3:10).
EAGLES live at a higher level, and this is what the gospel is all about. Eagles don’t have the need to be honored and praised (John 5:44). They don’t have all that religious stuff holding them down, so they tend to fly higher. It might be said they ‘rest’ on the air-currents of life, that originate from the throne of God. They just tend to soar with God. They know it is not them that’s important – without Christ they can do nothing (John 15:5). Eagles aren’t afraid of being used, abused, or even misunderstood. It seems like they’re oblivious to both the praise, and the condemnation of others. They don’t play ‘the blame game.’ They adapt to what happens to them. They know what happens to them isn’t half as important as how they respond to what happens to them. They are VICTORS in life, not VICTIMS of life. They don’t worry or fear – they know God’s in control and trust him to work things out for the best. Eagles view life as a journey, and the gospel as the power of God to live the best we can while on the journey. They know that life is simply Christ living in them (Gal 2:20). So they live with a real sense of thankfulness for life itself, regardless of life’s circumstances that intrude on them. They live in a sense of peace and joy that escapes other species of birds.
None of us live as eagles all of the time, but it is a good target to keep in our sights.
These articles on lifestyle and more
None. All articles are copyrighted in book form. god
Return to the selection of god
You may want to try these articles on god
God, The Power Of Obedience by Ericka Jackson Approximately 528 Words
God, Promises To God by Bruce Boyd Approximately 830 Words
God, Is God Your Friend? by Margaret Paul, Ph.D. Approximately 694 Words
God, Spiritual Fortitude by G.I.A. Devotions Approximately 519 Words
God, Let God Control Your Day by G.I.A. Devotions Approximately 451 Words
God, Why You Should Adopt A Dog by Kadence Buchanan Approximately 608 Words
God, The Healing Presence Of God's Love by Mashubi Rochell Approximately 705 Words
You may want to try these websites for additional information
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1201.htm
http://www.desiringgod.org/dg/id1.htm
http://www.godandscience.org/
The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!