Bird Struck! Swan

Family Devotional

Day Twenty-Seven

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.” Ephesians 5:1

There are swan legends and stories spread throughout almost all cultures. At the heart of most of them is a tale of transformation. A good one is when the ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan. A sad one is when a power-hungry queen changes her six stepsons into swans.

It was thought for centuries that all swans were only white. So much so that the term black swan became a symbol for the impossible. Then when a real black swan was discovered in Australia, it was a huge surprise!

A scientific term for the difference has been coined Black Swan Theory. The concept is based on the foundation that important differences happened historically and were unexpected.

Jesus prays for all His disciples to be in the world but not of the world. This concept is difficult to understand. It seems impossible. Yet that is just how Jesus lived.

He kept His heart and His values based on what mattered to God and what was true to His words.

He didn’t follow the religious leaders’ worldly definitions of possibilities, but looked to do God’s creative power instead. No matter how unexpected the action would be.

All swans have one interesting characteristic in common. A swan’s feathers do not get wet although it swims in the water. They have a special natural oil that keeps them dry.

Jesus also prayed for the Holy Spirit to cover His disciples. By his oil of presence we can learn to be in the world without getting wet.

Action

1.What are some of the world’s attitudes that are different from God’s love?

2.How can you choose to walk away from a conversation or situation that you know is not right?

3.What good attitudes can you imitate this week?

Read More

Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 16:24

John 15:18-19

Reflection: Impossible: Word Ambassadors: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     How do you first respond to a possible word from the Lord?

2.     Why is it important to be ready to hear and still be responsible to confirm?

3.     What are some excuses you hold to as being an unreliable word?

4.     What are some ways you react faithfully?

Share: How have you experienced God’s “impossible” this week?

Impossible: Word Ambassadors: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: Acts 2:8

“And how is it that we hear in our own native language?”

How many kinds of emotions rang behind those words? Wonder, hope, a desire for confirmation. Or suspicious and fearful?

When Paul first brought God’s words to the Bereans they were referred to as more noble-minded, “for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the scripture daily, to see whether these things were.” Acts 17: 11

Today in our highly technical environment we are well aware of potential scams and hoaxes and falsified presentations. But even in our sophisticated wariness lies still invade our relationships, our churches, our families, and our own hearts.

So often we doubt we are hearing what we think we are hearing.  In our faith too.

How often do we realize that the Lord has spoken into our hearts with the language we most need to hear and then still set up barriers of rejection? We must have been mistaken. We were caught up in a moment. We begin to question, why would He speak to me directly, am I imagining this, is it really possible?

Lord, teach us to remove our fears and anxieties so that we hear Your words of guidance and trust in Your personal language. Help us to confirm by Your scriptures and by Your Spirit’s counsel and take daily steps with great eagerness to listen and to walk.

Psalm of Worship: Genesis 1:8

“God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Genesis 7:5, “And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.”

There’s a quote from Lewis Carroll’s Queen, in Alice in Wonderland, where she states, “Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” I often think this idea must apply even more so to Noah as he built that ark.

Scripture tells us he built it in faith, in trust, and in confidence because he believed God. But I can’t help but wonder if his first reaction was confusion over what God said, doubt over his personal ability, and awkwardness as he tried to ask God to explain words and concepts totally foreign to his world.

It almost reads like an ancient fantasy or science fiction novel, a work of imagination. How do you build something you’ve never heard of before? How do you grasp the impossible?

Yet Noah did—all of it—in faith—for years and years.

Each morning, before breakfast, he prepared for a day of surprise and challenge. Did he rise quickly with excitement to the day’s new demands, or quietly savor a few moments of awe in expectation? Did he ever balk, just a little, when his muscles ached, or his family complained, or the people around him ridiculed?

Lord, only by Your Spirit can we be faithful in confusion, persevere through doubt and take steps of faith despite our weaknesses. Please teach us to trust in Your commands no matter how hard or complicated they may be. Help us to meet each day with anticipation—listening for Your nudges—ready to walk in Your will.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 50:23

“‘He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;

And to him who orders his way aright

I shall show the salvation of God.’”