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Kookaburra Smart |
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Scripture Reference: Joshua
24:15 The Kookaburra is the comic of the Australian bush. |
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When you hear his raucous laughter in the pre-dawn hours of the morning it is as
if his laughter is directed at you and of course, the rest of the world!
But don't be misled by the kookaburra's laughter - he is not fool as we have
found out! Our families most memorable encounter with the Kookaburra was while camping at the Grampians National Park in western Victoria. Early every morning we were woken by the laughter of the many birds who lived in the trees around the campsite. |
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It was wonderful! It is not often that you can have such close encounters with wild animals, though it is amazing what the offer of a little bit of free food can do. The next morning I decided that I would try and repeat the encounter, except there was just one problem. The best I had to offer was a bit of bread, which really was not quite as appealing to a kookaburra as sausage meat. I threw a bit of bread at some of them but they barely moved. They were not tempted at all by the bread nor were they the least bit fooled that the bread was anything that they could be possibly interested in. The kookaburras sat back and waited for something far more palatable to come along. They were too smart to bother themselves with such measly offerings as my bread! Now I really should not have been surprised. For a bird whose diet mainly consists of small reptiles and invertebrates, a grain diet was just not right. It was far more distaste that turned the kookaburra away from my gift of bread. Kookaburras are meant to feast on meat, not bread. That’s the way God made them. The kookaburras reminded me of the story of Daniel. He too faced a dietary choice though it is most unlikely that he would have agreed with the choice that the kookaburras made! When Daniel and his friends arrived in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar offered them the choicest food and the finest wine Babylon had to offer. However, it was a far richer diet than Daniel and his friends had been used to. So rather than taking part in the royal diet they appealed for a far simpler one, consisting of vegetables and water. And, of course, you know the rest of the story – Daniel and his friends followed their consciences and in the end proved to be far superior in every way to all the other young men who had feasted on the king’s food. So when it comes to making the right decisions it is far more than just dietary choice. Daniel’s decision not to eat the king’s food was not just about eating healthfully. He chose his vegetable diet because doing so would symbolise that he was choosing to stand up for right rather than follow the group, choosing to obey the King of Heaven rather than the king of Babylon. Joshua said this about the most important choice we have to make when he spoke to the Israelites. Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15 NIV So make sure that you are “kookaburra smart”, choosing to follow the plan and purpose that God has for your life. Like diets, God’s plan for you is individual and tailor-made. There is no one-size-fits all life plan. But ultimately the best thing is to choose, like Daniel, that in every choice and decision that you make today that ultimately you are choosing to follow and serve the Lord. |
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Related Bible Story Crafts
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In fact, the kookaburras in these surrounds were so friendly that they would eat
from people's hands. We and our girls had watched with great interest as
kookaburra's approached people so it was to our delight that someone gave us a
little sausage meat. It was not too long and these wonderful birds were
feeding from our hands.Please note: all outside links open in a new window.
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Topical Index to Object Lessons
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