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Ixtheus Christian Devotionals |
Wisdom from migrating geese
Dear Friends,
It may not commonly recognized, however
God has built lessons of wisdom into the behaviors and activities of His
Creatures of Nature..lessons which He commands us to examine discover and
learn from and emulate. One of the first such lessons that I came across
in scripture is the lessons of the behavior of ants. Consider the following
verses...
Prov 6:6-11 (TLB)
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy
fellow. Learn from their ways and be wise! {7} For though they have no
king to make them work, {8} yet they labor hard all summer, gathering food
for the winter. {9} But you--all you do is sleep. When will you wake up?
{10} "Let me sleep a little longer!" Sure, just a little more! {11} And
as you sleep, poverty creeps upon you like a robber and destroys you; want
attacks you in full armor.
And here is a little additional insight
from the reference, The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, on the subject...
"The ant has been famous in all ages for
its social habits, foresight, economy and industry. Collecting their
food at the proper seasons, they bite off the ends of the grain to prevent
it from germinating, and lay it up in cells till needed. "
See the following verses for other examples
of exemplary animal behavior:
Pr 1:17 Job 12:7,8 Isa 1:3 Mt 6:26
Keeping all these things in mind, please
consider the following article about the famous V-shaped flight pattern
of geese. And keep alert as you watch the little creatures around
you..you may be surprised to find that sometimes they are a lot wiser than
we..
In Christ........brother bob........<><
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The Flying "V"
By Angeles Arrien
This Fall, when you see geese heading
south for the winter
flying along in V formation, you
might consider what science
has discovered as to why they fly that
way.
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As each bird flaps it's wings, it creates
an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in V formation,
the whole flock has at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird
flew on it's own.
People who share a common direction and
sense of common purpose
can get where they are going more quickly
and easily
because they are traveling on the thrust
of one another.
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When a goose flies out of formation, it
suddenly feels that drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly
gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the
bird in front.
It is harder to do something alone than
together.
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When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates
back into the formation,
and another goose flies point at the head.
It is sensible to take turns doing demanding
jobs.
Shared leadership and interdependence
give us each a chance
to lead as well as opportunities to rest.
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The geese in formation honk from behind
to encourage those up front to keep up
their speed.
What do we say when we honk from behind?
We need to make sure our honking is encouraging and not discouraging.
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Finally, and this is important, when a
goose gets sick or wounded and falls out of formation, two other
geese will fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and
protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or
it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another
formation to catch up with their flock.
If we have the sense of a goose, we will
stand by our colleagues and each other in difficult times as well as in
good.
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--Bible Verses to Ponder--
Job 12:7-10 (TLB)
"Who doesn't know that the Lord
does things like that?
{8} Ask the dumbest beast--he knows
that it is so;
ask the birds--they will tell you;
{9} or let the earth teach you,
or the fish of the sea.
{10} For the soul of every living
thing is in the hand of God,
and the breath of all mankind.
Eccl 4:9-10 (KJV)
Two are better than one;
because they have a good reward for their
labour.
{10} For if they fall, the one will lift
up his fellow:
but woe to him that is alone when
he falleth;
for he hath not another to help
him up.
Gen 2:18 (TLB)
And the Lord God said,
"It isn't good for man to be alone;
I will make a companion for him,
a helper suited to his needs."
1 Cor 12:4-7 (TLB)
Now God gives us many kinds of special
abilities,
but it is the same Holy Spirit who is
the source of them all.
{5} There are different kinds of
service to God,
but it is the same Lord we are serving.
{6} There are many ways in which
God works in our lives,
but it is the same God who does the work
in and through all of us who are
his.
{7} The Holy Spirit displays God's power
through each of us
as a means of helping the entire church.
Gal 6:1-2 (TLB)
Dear brothers,
if a Christian is overcome by some
sin,
you who are godly should gently
and humbly
help him back onto the right path,
remembering that next time
it might be one of you who is in the wrong.
{2} Share each other's troubles and problems,
and so obey our Lord's command.
Heb 10:24-25 (TLB)
In response to all He has done for us,
let us outdo each other in being helpful
and kind to each other
and in doing good.
{25} Let us not neglect our church meetings,
as some people do,
but encourage and warn each other,
especially now that the day of his coming
back again is drawing near.
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IXTHEUS CHRISTIAN GROWTH DEVOTIONALS
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God Bless You.....brother bob.......<><
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me at ixtheus@execpc.com
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