The Feeder

Bible Reading: Matthew 4:1-4; John 6:35-40; James 4:7

“Grandma, look! A squirrel climbed up on your bird feeder and scared all the birds away. He’s taking the food you put out for them. How can we make him leave it alone?”

“I don’t know,” said Grandma. “I’ve tried several things, but squirrels are very good at finding a way to get at the birdseed.”

As Chloe watched, mourning doves came. The squirrel sat up and made a loud noise that frightened them away. Blue jays flitted around the feeder and tried to get the seeds. They shrieked at the squirrel, but he refused to move. Woodpeckers approached. When the squirrel ignored the sounds they made, they flew to the feeder anyway and began to eat. The squirrel seemed surprised and moved slightly to one side. The woodpeckers edged closer and closer to the squirrel until he scampered away, leaving the feeder available to all the birds.

“Oh, good!” said Chloe. “That squirrel wasn’t gonna let the birds get to the seeds, but the woodpeckers just went after it anyway. The squirrel finally gave up.”

Grandma nodded. “Do you know who that squirrel reminds me of?” Puzzled, Chloe shook her head. “It’s Satan,” Grandma said. “He puts all kinds of things in our way to keep us from getting the food we need.”

“You mean the Bible?” Chloe asked. “That’s like spiritual food, isn’t it?”

Grandma nodded. “Reading God’s Word feeds us spiritually because it contains the truth of Jesus. In the Bible Jesus calls Himself the Bread of Life because, just like we need to eat to survive, we can’t have eternal life without Him. Satan tries to keep people away from Jesus, and one of the ways he does that is by using distractions to keep Christians from spending time with Jesus so He can nourish our souls.”

“But Jesus is stronger than Satan,” said Chloe. “In church I learned a verse that says if we submit to God and resist the devil, he’ll leave us alone.”

“That’s right,” said Grandma. “Even with all his angry chattering, that squirrel couldn’t do anything to stop those woodpeckers from coming to the feeder. And when we trust in Jesus, Satan has no power over us. When we resist the temptation to let the things going on in our lives distract us, Satan can’t stop us from coming to Jesus.” • Ruth I. Jay

How About You?

Are you too busy with all the things going on in your life to spend time with Jesus? Don’t let Satan distract you from getting your spiritual food. He’s eager to help you find reasons to skip church or Bible club and make excuses not to read the Bible. Don’t let him! Jesus wants to nourish you with the truth of His Word. Ask Him to help you plan out the time in your day and week so you can spend time with Him.

Today’s Key Verse:
Psalm 119:16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Spend time with Jesus