Bird caught in a net

Being and Doing as God Enables – By A.W. Tozer  
(Guest Writer from the Past)

Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. (Proverbs 1:17 KJV)

Failing to get ready in time for eternity, and failing to get ready now for the great then that lies out yonder, is a trap in plain sight. There is an odd saying in the Old Testament, “How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds” (Proverbs 1:17).

When the man of God wrote that, he gave the birds a little credit. It would be silly for a bird watching me set the trap to conveniently fly down and get into it. Yet there are people doing that all the time. People who have to live for eternity fall into that trap set for them in plain sight. It is folly to put off to a tomorrow because you may never see the things that you should do now. It is an act of inexcusable folly to count on help that will never come. It is foolish to ignore God’s help now offered us. Many are guilty of ignoring the help that is presently being extended to them, all the while waiting for help that will never come from others. There is not much that can be said in favor of lazy or careless Christians. God never told anyone to do anything that he or she could not do. Jesus said to the man with the paralyzed arm that hung at his side like a limp piece of flesh, “Stretch out your hand” (Matthew 12:13a). And the man, believing that Jesus was the Christ, stretched out his hand and was healed instantly. God has never asked anyone yet to do anything that He was not enabling the person to do.

See  A.W. Tozer index.

A.W. Tozer (1897 – 1963)

A 20th-century prophet” they called him even in his lifetime. For 31 years he was pastor of Southside Alliance Church in Chicago, where his reputation as a man of God was citywide. Concurrently he became editor of Alliance Life, a responsibility he fulfilled until his death in 1963.

His greatest legacy to the Christian world has been his 30 books. Because A.W. Tozer lived in the presence of God he saw clearly and he spoke as a prophet to the church. He sought for God’s honor with the zeal of Elijah and mourned with Jeremiah at the apostasy of God’s people.

But he was not a prophet of despair. His writings are messages of concern. They warn and exhort. But they are messages of hope as well, for God is always there, ever faithful to restore and to fulfill His Word to those who hear and obey.

Flamingos Caught in a net©Flickr

Lee’s Addition:

Here is a warning for our Christian young people, including teens and older. “Failing to get ready in time for eternity, and failing to get ready now for the great then that lies out yonder…” Are you applying yourself to your studies? Do you spend too much time playing video games or watching TV, etc.? Are you spending time in God’s Word to help you grow in your spiritual walk with the Lord. Have you prayed for guidance for your future? You are not too young to be asking the Lord to lead you and guide you for your future.

“God has never asked anyone yet to do anything that He was not enabling the person to do.” He will help you with your studies, even though they may be hard. You just might find that later on in life, those studies were part of your “enabling.”

Be aware of what is going on around you and watch out for those nets that can get you tangled up.

The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer – ebook

A. W. Tozer – Wikipedia

Birds of the Bible – Bird Catcher

Four Things God Wants You To Know

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