OUR DAILY BREAD : MICHAEL CARDINAL

[cimi]

April 2
Wednesday


MICHAEL
CARDINAL

READ:
Matthew 6:25-34
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Look at the birds
of the air....
--Matthew 6:26
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Twig by twig a cardinal constructed a bowl-shaped home in the bush outside my office window. Soon she laid an egg and kept it warm until it hatched. I named the little bird Michael. Although he was tiny, he had a huge appetite. His parents worked hard to keep him fed and safe. In a few months, Michael was ready to leave, and I was there to witness the amazing event.

When Michael left, so did mom and dad. The nest remained empty until the next spring. When mama cardinal returned, I was happy to see her but also sad. We had sold our house and I was concerned that the new owners might chop down the bush. But my concern soon turned to amazement. As I dismantled my office, mama cardinal dismantled her nest. By the time we left, so had the cardinal family. Mama cardinal's God-given instincts had told her to move.

This brought to mind another nature lesson. Using birds and lilies as examples, Jesus urged people not to worry. Since God takes care of birds, surely He will take care of His people (Matt. 6:26-30).

When concern for our own well-being leads to anxious thoughts, we can look at the birds and be assured of our value to God and of His care for us. __Julie Ackerman Link
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```````````````````I sing because I'm happy,````````````````````
````````````````````I sing because I'm free,`````````````````````
``````````````````For His eye is on the sparrow,``````````````````
````````````````And I know He watches me. __Martin``````````````
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We need not fear the perils around us because
the eye of the Lord is always upon us.

****************Today's Bible Reading __ Matthew 6:25-34**********

25 Therefore I say to you,
do not worry about your
life, what you will eat or
what you will drink; nor
about your body, what you
will put on. Is not life more
than food and the body
more than clothing? 26 Look
at the birds of the air, for
they neither sow nor reap
nor gather into barns; yet
your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not of more
value than they? 27 Which
of you by worrying can add
one cubit to his stature?

28 So why do yo worry
about clothing? Consider
the lilies of the field, how
they grow: they neither toil
nor spin; 29 and yet I say to
you that even Solomon in
all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these.

30 Now if God so clothes
the grass of the field, which
today is, and tomorrow is
thrown into the oven, will
He not much more clothe
you, O you of little faith?

31 Therefore do not worry,
saying, 'What shall we
eat?' or 'What shall we
drink?' or 'What shall we
wear?' 32 For after all these
things the Gentiles seek.
For your heavenly Father
knows that you need all
these things. 33 But seek
first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and
all these things shall be
added to you. 34 Therefore
do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow
will worry about its own
things. Sufficient for the
day is its own trouble.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Our Lord's teaching consistently used examples from life that
connected eternal truth to daily living. In today's Bible reading,
Jesus instructed His hearers to learn lessons from birds (v.26), lilies
(v.28), and grass (v.30). His purpose? To bring them to a point of
establishing priorites (v.33) that move beyond the temporal to
impact eternity. __Bill Crowder