This Great Horned Owl Will Not Leave Her Nest Even For Food So That Her Eggs Won't Freeze. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Hebrews 13:16
Giving little attention to the treacherous blizzard, this mother spotted what she had been looking for. Her large, powerful wings spread and lifted her to another tree for a closer investigation.
The reward of her search was an abandoned crow's nest and it passed her inspection perfectly. She began pecking away at the frozen crusted snow and added a few branches and breast feathers.
With the adaptation completed, it became her home and within a few days it contained three white eggs. Now began the months of dedicated sacrifice which are carefully given by the Great Horned Owl in a remarkable way.
The early nesting was an unusual sight in the frozen forest. It was a full two months before other birds would do the same -- and for good reason. The cold days and even colder nights made the owl a prisoner of her nest.
If she left the nest to find food for herself, she would run the risk of her eggs freezing. So she went without much food during the crucial incubation period.
Still a new hardship revealed another disadvantage and denial of early nesting. One afternoon the sky darkened, and heavy, thick snow pelted the mother owl.
It clung to her feathers as well as the protruding edges of her nest. The mother owl fought to shake off the deepening snow, but never left her eggs.
After four weeks of keeping those eggs warm,
three cream colored downy owlets hatched and
the reason for the early nesting became apparent.
The owlets opened their pleading mouths
and the parents began their race to keep them filled.
Amasa's Lingering Cost Him HIs LIfe -- What Does Our Procrastinating Cost Us? How does God's Word illustrate the importance of adjusting our schedules??
Twice an ambitious general marched out to battle, and twice he was defeated.The cause of such a defeat was his failure to learn a lesson in timing. Twenty thousand men were killed in the first battle, but the second
confrontation was fatal to only one soldier.
Now the king said to Amasa the commander of the army, "Summon the fighting men of Judah to me within three days, and be present here yourself." So Amasa went to summon the soldiers of Judah, but he delayed longer than the time which King David had set for him.
And David said to his nephew Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absolom did. Take your lord's servants, and pursue him, so that he does not find fortified cities for himself and escape from our sight."
So Joab's men went after him, along with David's bodyguards, and all the warriors; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. When they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa hurried to meet them.
Now Joab was wearing his military uniform, and over it, he had a belt with a sheathed sword around his hips; and as he went forward, it fell out. Joab said to Amasa, "Is it going well with you, my brother?" And with his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa by the beard as if to kiss him in greeting.
But Amasa, who had replaced Joab as David's commander was off guard and not attentive to the sword in Joab's hand. So Joab struck Amasa in the abdomen with the sword, and Amasa fell backwards in his own blood.
Without another blow Amasa, died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. Now one of Joab's young men stood by him and said, "Whoever favors Joab is for King David, let him follow Joab.
Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people who came by stopped to look, he moved Amasa from the highway into a field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by Amasa stopped.
When the body of Amasa was removed from the highway, everyone followed after Joab, to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
Timing and sacrifice was everything, but Amasa dawdled wasting his time. Had he followed the scheduled given to him his murderer would have remained in the capital city, and he could have continued and gained an easy victory.
His failure to adjust his schedule to meet the needs of the king was one more example of his disloyalty which had characterized his life and ultimately caused his death.
(From 2 Samuel 20:1-13)
The Great Horned Owl sacrificed by denying herself food for four weeks, so that her eggs wouldn't freeze. Whereas Amasa lingered and took his time, which cost him his life!
When God gives us something to do we need to give it the attention it calls for. Sometimes that means we need to be ready to set our agenda aside... to accomplish God's will in our lives!
Something to Ponder: What are some of the consequences we may endure because we procrastinate in our
service to the Lord Jesus Christ??
Twice an ambitious general marched out to battle, and twice he was defeated.The cause of such a defeat was his failure to learn a lesson in timing. Twenty thousand men were killed in the first battle, but the second
confrontation was fatal to only one soldier.
Now the king said to Amasa the commander of the army, "Summon the fighting men of Judah to me within three days, and be present here yourself." So Amasa went to summon the soldiers of Judah, but he delayed longer than the time which King David had set for him.
And David said to his nephew Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absolom did. Take your lord's servants, and pursue him, so that he does not find fortified cities for himself and escape from our sight."
So Joab's men went after him, along with David's bodyguards, and all the warriors; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. When they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa hurried to meet them.
Now Joab was wearing his military uniform, and over it, he had a belt with a sheathed sword around his hips; and as he went forward, it fell out. Joab said to Amasa, "Is it going well with you, my brother?" And with his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa by the beard as if to kiss him in greeting.
But Amasa, who had replaced Joab as David's commander was off guard and not attentive to the sword in Joab's hand. So Joab struck Amasa in the abdomen with the sword, and Amasa fell backwards in his own blood.
Without another blow Amasa, died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. Now one of Joab's young men stood by him and said, "Whoever favors Joab is for King David, let him follow Joab.
Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people who came by stopped to look, he moved Amasa from the highway into a field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by Amasa stopped.
When the body of Amasa was removed from the highway, everyone followed after Joab, to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
Timing and sacrifice was everything, but Amasa dawdled wasting his time. Had he followed the scheduled given to him his murderer would have remained in the capital city, and he could have continued and gained an easy victory.
His failure to adjust his schedule to meet the needs of the king was one more example of his disloyalty which had characterized his life and ultimately caused his death.
(From 2 Samuel 20:1-13)
The Great Horned Owl sacrificed by denying herself food for four weeks, so that her eggs wouldn't freeze. Whereas Amasa lingered and took his time, which cost him his life!
When God gives us something to do we need to give it the attention it calls for. Sometimes that means we need to be ready to set our agenda aside... to accomplish God's will in our lives!
Something to Ponder: What are some of the consequences we may endure because we procrastinate in our
service to the Lord Jesus Christ??
RSS Feed
