Walking With Jesus (Overcoming Stagnation)Sample

Break down your bars

 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

Jeremiah 29:11

Today we will learn about the story of a little camel and his mother. One day a camel asked his mother, "Mom, why do we have such big toenails?" Looking down at her son, the mother camel replied, "God created us with hooves of that size to keep us from sinking in the sand." "Oh, I see. Then why are our eyelashes so long, Mom?" asked the camel again. The mother camel explained, "This is to protect our eyes from flying sand as we walk through the desert." "Then mom, why do we have such a big hump?" asked the curious camel. "That's to store fat, so we have enough energy to travel long distances in the hot desert!" "Okay, now I know!" The little camel stretched its neck and then looked at his mother. "Big hooves keep me from sinking in the sand, long eyelashes to keep my eyes from the sand, and humps to store energy when traveling long distances in the hot desert, so what are we doing in this cage in the middle of the zoo, Mom?" The mother camel was silent and could not answer.

Like the little camel, as believers, we must also ask the same questions about our lives. God has given great potential and ability to every one of us according to the portion that He has determined for us. However, how often do we limit ourselves and God by allowing ourselves to be in the cage?  This cage represents sin, fear, worry, doubt, loneliness, or even bad habits which prevent us from living according to what God wants in our lives.

However, when we have the will to come out of the bars of our cage, we will be equipped with God's given eternal assurance, the promise of hope, and His guidance for our future.  When this happens, the bars of our cage will collapse, and we will go out into the wilderness of life with the Lord. We walk through the heat and endure the sun with a purpose with God. God will refresh us with His insight and wisdom when the thirst strikes us. Our faith and trust in God make us no longer drowned by the sands of sin, and as a result, we can reach for a hopeful future.

Reflection:

1. Are you in the bars of the “cage” of life today?

2. If yes, are you willing to get out of the bars of your “cage”?

Application: 

Come to Jesus. He holds the key to your freedom. Get out and explore life with God because that's what you were made for.