Your True Nature

Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. –Ephesians 4:13

In a village next to the Niger River I noticed a cage holding one lone, odd-looking eagle.  All of the basic features were there, and it was white on the body, neck, and two-thirds of the wings, but the end of the wings and the head were black.  I was told, “That is a white eagle.”  That seemed confusing, with the black coloring on the wings and the whole head.  Then it was further explained, “It is a young white eagle; as the bird grows, the white will push its way to the tip of the wings and beak.  The mature bird will be completely white in the end.”  Again, all things created are preaching Jesus.  The DNA of the bird dictates that it will be a white bird.  As the bird grows, it expands into what it really is in fact: a white eagle.  It does not become a white eagle; it is a white eagle, even when the black is on it.  Growth and maturity will force out what does not belong to the very nature of the bird.

The head is where thoughts of the flesh hide in hopes of manifesting themselves.  The black on the wings represent our unbelief, the only thing associating us with earthly living.  Would it in any way be possible to stop the growth of this bird?  No, but if it remains caged, the expression and exercise of its growth and maturity would not be seen.  This white eagle gives me hope.  First, it will grow, and what it is will be revealed; it has no choice in the matter.  Second, God will not keep it captive.  There will be a mounting up in the fullness of time.

Imagine giving birth to a child if its actual growth was in your hands and it was up to you to make it grow.  Would you not be a nervous wreck?  You cannot make a child grow, for that is God’s work.  Likewise, you do not make yourself grow spiritually!  That is God’s work, a work that He has ordained by writing into your very DNA that you are a child of God; Christ’s life is written into your very nature.  In the end, you cannot make one hair (one feather) black or white.  Your “color” is the outgrowth of the new nature that He has given you.

By the way, eagles devour the serpent and are feared by all the other little creatures that sneak about.

How important is it to each one of us to KNOW that “Christ’s life is written into our very nature”?!?  Wow!  Every Christian’s “true nature” is God Himself.

So, check out the beauty of this in our everyday lives:

1. We do not make ourselves grow spiritually…that is God’s work.

2. Growth and maturity will force out what does not belong in our life (to our “true

    nature”).

3. The end result of God’s work in our life is the outgrowth of the new nature that

    He gave us at our New Birth (when we were Born Again).

4. Our “true nature” is that of an Overcomer, and all that is opposed to our “true

    nature” is afraid of any encounter with Him.