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Pastor Brent was driving and saw a mature eagle. It wasn’t soaring gracefully through the sky, instead it was walking in the mud. Its breast was all dirty – not what you would expect of an eagle! Are you fulfilling the calling God has for your life, or are you playing in the mud instead of soaring? In this message, Pastor Brent looks at the account of Jonah, who was playing in the dirt instead of fulfilling his calling. In order to fulfill your calling in life, you must get out of your comfort zone, take flight and soar!
Get of Your Comfort Zone
God had asked Jonah to go Tarshish to preach against their wickedness (Jonah 1:1), but Jonah refused to do it and ran from God. Jonah was NOT fulfilling the calling God had for him!
“Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:5-8
Jonah was comfortable sitting under the leafy plant (which God provided). Then God took away the plant in order get to Jonah’s attention.
As eaglets are getting ready to the leave the nest, their mother starts taking away the soft feathers & leaves in it in order to make the nest uncomfortable. Otherwise, the eaglets would be content staying there! When things are uncomfortable in our lives, it doesn’t necessarily mean that God isn’t in it. Sometimes God allows uncomfortable things in our lives to get us where we need to be!
Take Flight
Eagles can carry weight up to four times their body weight. They are able to do this because they use the wind beneath them and don’t rely solely on their own strength. Furthermore, when an eagle hovers over its eaglets, it is teaching the eaglets how to catch the wind. Likewise, we need can’t rely on our own strength and abilities to accomplish what God has called us to do…we must rely on God’s strength.
We are not chickens, we’re eagles! We need to learn to walk with God. Are you becoming more like Christ? Cry out to God and He will help you!
Soar!
As Christians we are ALL called to make disciples. God has given us the authority and power to do so.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20
We have NOT been called to make church-goers! We are called to make disciples, which are followers of Christ. Don’t sit and wait for the next generation or someone else to do it. God wants to use YOU!!!!