73 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
73 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
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THE WAITING EAGLE
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. The following is the content of a sermon that I listened to a
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couple of weeks ago on television. I can't remember the preacher, but
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the message was loud and clear. His use of the eagle in the example
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to follow has many hidden meanings. How many can you think of?
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. A young man was out hiking in Canada along the bank of a fast
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flowing river. Large blocks and chunks of still-solid ice were
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breaking away from the shoreline and slowly moving out into the fast
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flowing water in the center of the river. Many insects and a few
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small animals occasionally drifted out into the river perched atop the
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blocks of ice, to be swept off into the distance and out of sight of
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the watcher.
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. As he walked along, getting closer and closer to the rapids and
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the waterfall that he could hear in the distance, the young man
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noticed an eagle circling in the sky. It swooped down close to a
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piece of ice floating out in the middle, but did not quite touch the
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ice. It was then that the young man noticed something small and fuzzy
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scurrying around on the ice that the eagle had just dived at.
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. As he walked along watching, the eagle made a couple more dives
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at the little creature on the ice. Finally, the eagle came to land on
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the edge of the block of ice, quickly capturing and killing his prey.
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The eagle must have been very hungry as he did not take off, but
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proceeded to start eating the little creature, glancing up from time
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to time watching the ice's progress towards the now close rapids and
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falls.
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. At the top of a hill, the path the young man was following veered
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off away from the river. Quickly, the man climbed a large rock which
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gave him an excellent view of the river, the falls and the eagle still
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riding the block of ice.
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. Still the eagle stood on the edge of the ice eating. It looked
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up again and again, evidently judging the time left before the ice
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went over the edge of the falls. Surely, thought the young man, it
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must take off now, but the eagle was waiting till the last minute
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enjoying the now almost finished meal.
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. Finally, the eagle decided that it was time to leave. But flap
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as much as it would, the eagle could not leave the ice! It would
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appear as though while the eagle had been riding the block of ice
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eating and watching for the falls, waiting till the last possible
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moment to make his escape, its feet had melted the ice then become
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re-frozen, welding him permanently in place.
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. The eagle flapped and flapped, feathers flying, literally beating
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its wings to a pulp. But to no avail. As it went over the edge, the
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scream it made sent shivers up the back of the young man watching from
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the rock. It sounded just like the scream of a woman in agony as she
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plunged to her death.
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. The point of the story is that the eagle, just like so many
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people, kept watching the future approaching but choose to wait until
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the absolute last moment to make a decision (as so very many wait all
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of their lives knowing that they will have eternal life if they accept
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and walk with Jesus, but try to put it off till the last possible
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moment). The eagle, like so many "future watchers", lost.
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. Are you waiting till the last possible moment, watching the falls
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approaching? Do you really want to take that chance and miss being
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able to live eternally? Jesus is waiting for you to ask him into your
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heart today. A whole new world can be yours for the asking if only
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you'll accept Him as your Lord and Savior. If you have been waiting
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and watching but are now convinced that you want to make the right
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choice while you still have time, then pray the following prayer and
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ask Jesus into your life. DO IT NOW!
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. "Dear Father, I know that I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I
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believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins. I am willing to turn from
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sin. I now invite Jesus to come into my heart and life as my personal
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Savior. I am willing, by God's grace, to follow and obey Jesus Christ
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as the Lord of my life."
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Jim Lewis, The Light BBS, (904) 625-2737
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