“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Matthew 6:26 NIV
Birds
It is estimated that there have been 696 bird species found in Canada – 229 of which are accidental. Twelve species were introduced to North America or directly to Canada, three species are extinct, and three, possibly four, are no longer found in Canada. Three species, Ross’s goose, whooping crane, and Harris’s sparrow, breed only in Canada. The extinct Labrador duck is also believed to have been a breeding endemic, though its breeding areas are not known. Birdwatching in Canada is a multi-billion dollar past time.
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We feed birds. A lot. It isn’t uncommon for us to fill our bird feeder four or five times a day. Just the other day, I counted thirteen sparrows at the feeder – at once! We love taking care of our birds – it brings us great satisfaction. Apparently, God gets the same satisfaction in caring for us as well. In Matthew 6:26, Jesus uses this same analogy to drive home the same point: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” It is a rhetorical question, of course – we are more valuable than a bird. Only human beings are created in the image of God and have eternity built into our hearts. God provides for the tiniest of birds, and you can count on Him to provide for you as well. What is amazing is that God sometimes chooses to use you and me to be His hands and feet in providing for others. We are, after all, the body of Christ. To whom is God sending you to today to provide, on His behalf, for others?
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley