Well, today I am suppose to be writing a sermon but, instead find myself writing in my blog. And I am going to write to you about chickens. Yes, I said chickens. You see, chickens are interesting creatures and probably the best at telling us how not to be. Yet, do we take any examples from the chicken? No! We just eat them. And yes, they can be soooo delicious! But, before you take another bite, think about that chicken for just one moment and see what you can learn from him.......
1. Chickens are followers. If a chicken sees a bunch of chickens running across the chicken yard, he will take off after them. It doesn't matter that he doesn't know where they are going or why they are going there. He follows because he doesn't want to miss out on anything the majority are doing. Does this sound like you? Follow what everyone else is doing just because you don't want to miss out or be left out? This can lead to some very dangerous situations especially when it comes to your soul - the truth about who you really are.
I did this at least one time in my life that I can remember. I had some friends who I really desired to be around, accepted by them, and have some fun. This group's favorite past time was spent drinking in a few favorite bars across town. So, I blindly went with them. After all, the talk was good, the laughing felt great, and I did enjoy a nice glass of wine every now and then. Well, before I knew it, I was drinking more than just wine and more than just one glass. Here is where I entered dangerous territory. Had I allowed that lifestyle to go on, how far would I have gone? I had already gone further and drank more than I ever had in my life. I was not being true to myself because I was turning into someone I didn't recognize. This was not fair to the friends I was with because I was not showing them my true spirit. I was denying myself in order to be accepted and liked. And, this was not fair to me as I was losing myself. The Bible even warns us of this, "And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?". Matthew 16:26 (NLT). Yes, I was losing my own soul in the process of being "accepted". Don't get me wrong. I love those friends and enjoyed time spent with them. But true friendship is showing yourself and them liking you for who you really are. And, I discovered I am nothing without Jesus in my life. When I denied Him, I denied who I have been called to be. Enough about me (this would be best dealt with in aonther blog), back to the chickens....
2. Chickens just naturally "squabble and fight" over things in the chicken yard. If one finds a nice juicy bug to eat, suddenly they all want it. They will chase each other all over the chicken yard, trying to take it away from each other. They are funny that way. They can walk all around a bug or grasshopper and not pay any attention to it, but the moment one decides he wants it, at that moment, they all decide they want it and the chase is on. Wow, how many people and situations this describes. I could talk about this from the craze for Cabbage Patch Babies in the '80's to how drugs became popular in our culture starting in the 60's. I could even make it a more current relevance just by talking about the current mortgage meltdown. We run around fighting for everything except for those things that really matter. Such as our spouses, our families, our integrity, or our souls. When was the last time you had a sit down, spiritual fight with God? You can do this. I said fight with God, not against God. Get into God's Word and talk to Him. You can say anything and I promise He won't be offended. Unless you get down right rude and nasty towards Him. He doesn't take kindly to acts of meanness as I am sure you don't either.
You say you don't know God, have never talked to God, or don't even believe in God? Well, now is a good time to give it a try. After all, what have you got to lose? Even God encourages you to test Him. Psalms 34:8 (NLT) says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him!" Lamentations says, "Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn again in repentance to the Lord". (3:40 - NLT). Remember the chickens.....
3. Chickens have no interest in the Heavens. They are content to live in the chicken yard, walking around with their eyes on the ground, scratching in the dirt looking for something to eat. Most of them will never try to fly. They are earthbound birds. Are you an earthbound bird? Do you spend most of your time trying to build a career, work your fingers to the bone, worrying about bills, thinking about the next thing you need to "afford", or impressing the boss (manager, supervisor, team lead, etc)? Or maybe you are trying to impress someone else, live up to expectations, or busy trying to live a life that is "satisfying" (or I should say "gratifying")? So, how are you doing? Are you gaining all that you had hoped for? Has all your hard work amounted to anything?
Psalm 40:12 says, "For troubles surround me -- to many to count! They pile up so high I can't see my way out (unable to look up). They are more numerous than the hairs on my head. I have lost all my courage. (NLT)
Luke 21:28 says, "So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!" (NLT)
Psalm 5:3 says, "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to you, and I will look up". (NKJV).
I quoted from the New King James Version in that last Scripture because it states it so clearly for me - Look Up! Look up into the Heavens, seek God, and listen to His voice. Look Up! Stop being a chicken looking down and scratching at the ground. Look up to find God's glory shining down on you!! So, if it is so easy, why aren't we doing that each and every day? Well, the answer is found in the...... chickens!
4. Did you know that you can literally hypnotize a chicken by holding it and drawing a line in the dirt over and over again? The chicken will stay there as long as you do this. When I think about this I think of those things in our lives that keep us focused on things that really don't matter and keep our focus off things that do matter. Mostly, what is in our lives that keep our focus away from God? What keeps us from spending time with Him? Is it our troubles, our friends, our family, our "entertainment", our jobs, our commitments? The list can go on and on. I'm not saying that is bad to be focused on all of this. Certainly we have to be focused on our jobs while at our jobs. No, what I am asking is what is keeping your focus off of God? What stops you from spending time with Him. What stops you from leaving the "chicken yard"? Isaiah 40:26 says, "Look up into the heavens. Who created the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by name. And He counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away." Our focus each and every day should begin with God. In everything that we do, we need to focus on God. Think you are failing in your job? Focus it on God. Think your life is meaningless? Focus it on God. Having trouble meeting your commitments? Focus it on God. Are you bored? Focus on God. Are troubles piling up in your life? Focus on God. Get it? Well, one last time let's focus on the chicken......
5. The most interesting fact I came across about chickens was that they are thought to be the closest living relative of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Wow, they have come a long, long way - in the wrong direction! How can something so terrifying, so large, so commanding become something so insignificant? Well, only significant when it comes to meal time. I mean, this is one evolutionary mystery! Well, if you believed in evolution but that is for another blog.
Look at yourself, at your friends, at your neighborhood, at your city, state, and then at your country. Where have we come from and where are we going? Is the difference compared to the difference between the T-Rex and the chicken? Would this be a good thing or a bad thing? Certainly, we would much rather come upon a chicken in the woods rather than a T-Rex. But, if the difference means I am diminished some how, well then that is something I have to think about. I want to increase, not decrease. How about you?
Proverbs 13:11 says, "Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase". (KJV)
Ecclesiastes 5:10, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless". (NIV)
"And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith'." Luke 17:5 (NKJV).
John the Baptist said about Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decease". I think that sums up the idea about the difference between the T-Rex and the chicken. The Lord within me must increase and I must decrease. In that way I will be more than I ever imagine to be!!
So to sum it up:
Don't be a follower. Discover who God is for yourself. You want to know who He is, what He is thinking, how He fits into your life? He wrote a book. Read it.
Don't squabble and fight. Instead, find out what God would say about the matter. Fight for the right things. Fight for things that will make a difference in your life and in others lives. Fight for the truth!
Become interested in the Heavens. Focus on God. Learn how to decrease your selfishness and how to increase in Christ Jesus!!
May you all find time to spend with the Lord this week. Increasing your faith, your knowledge, and your love for Him. I pray for everyone reading these words that the Lord will become very real for you and that your faith will become the size of a T-Rex.
Love to all,
Debby
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Getting Started
Ever since I was a little girl, I have had something to say. Ask my parents, they will support this statement! I was known to get into trouble at school for talking when I should have been listening. Plenty of teacher conferences were focused on this very fact. I love to talk. I love to exchange ideas, share discoveries, and laugh at funny stories. Never mind the fact that I like it best when I am the one talking! LOL
However, there comes a time when you either have to change the behavior or accept it for what its worth. Well, changing the behavior was just not an option for me so I chose to accept it. It wasn't a hard decision! ;) But, little did I know, God was about to get involved in all my talking. So, now instead of my voice, I prefer the voice of my Father. He tells me what to say and when to say it. He, also, scolds me when I say what I shouldn't or when I don't say what I should. If this sounds like someone familiar, yes, I do relate to Paul in many ways. In Romans chapter 7 Paul says this about his desire to do right:
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do......For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." Romans 7:15, 19 & 20 (NIV).
One can say that Paul was very distressed when he wrote this. I know and understand his frustration for I have lived this very same thing. The idea out there that Christians are to live this perfect, free from struggle and mistakes, life is absolutely not the truth. In fact, it has been my experience that the complete opposite is true. The more a person seeks a closer relationship with Christ, the more conflict occurs. This is why people will stop seeking. They don't understand that this road to be like Christ is not a straight, evenly smooth, path. It is a hard, crooked road that has many bumps, pits, and cracks. Just like the roads in Des Moines, Iowa after a hard winter. (Sorry, couldn't avoid the comparison!). And if people say they have found a way to "spirituality" that is smooth, even, and blissful, well, I would have to question as to whether or not they are on the right path.
This is a good starting point for my blog. Explaining why the best path is the hard path. In my life group ministry - "On Eagles Wings" - I not only work to explain but my ultimate goal is to assist others in managing the bumps, pits, and cracks. For our very reward depends on how well we accomplish that task. Let this blog become an addition to the work I do. I pray that those I talk to on Facebook will read it to gain a better understanding of me, my relationship with God, and why I feel it so necessary to post Scriptures and warnings about sin. I pray that those who attend On Eagles Wings Life Groups will read this and that whatever God places in my heart to say will motivate them to continue on the right path. I pray that my Christianity 101 Class and Bible Discussion Group will find information here to add to their daily learning. (Yes, I said daily - have you done your homework?). I pray that my family and friends will read this and see what God is doing in my life.
I pray that through my words - God's words coming through me - you will find that most precious relationship a person could ever have in this life. A relationship with Jesus that surpasses all of our understanding and expectations of a perfect relationship. And that you will be able to learn how to deepen that relationship so when life gets hard, you will know how to lean on Him and just breathe.
Love to all,
Debby
However, there comes a time when you either have to change the behavior or accept it for what its worth. Well, changing the behavior was just not an option for me so I chose to accept it. It wasn't a hard decision! ;) But, little did I know, God was about to get involved in all my talking. So, now instead of my voice, I prefer the voice of my Father. He tells me what to say and when to say it. He, also, scolds me when I say what I shouldn't or when I don't say what I should. If this sounds like someone familiar, yes, I do relate to Paul in many ways. In Romans chapter 7 Paul says this about his desire to do right:
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do......For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." Romans 7:15, 19 & 20 (NIV).
One can say that Paul was very distressed when he wrote this. I know and understand his frustration for I have lived this very same thing. The idea out there that Christians are to live this perfect, free from struggle and mistakes, life is absolutely not the truth. In fact, it has been my experience that the complete opposite is true. The more a person seeks a closer relationship with Christ, the more conflict occurs. This is why people will stop seeking. They don't understand that this road to be like Christ is not a straight, evenly smooth, path. It is a hard, crooked road that has many bumps, pits, and cracks. Just like the roads in Des Moines, Iowa after a hard winter. (Sorry, couldn't avoid the comparison!). And if people say they have found a way to "spirituality" that is smooth, even, and blissful, well, I would have to question as to whether or not they are on the right path.
This is a good starting point for my blog. Explaining why the best path is the hard path. In my life group ministry - "On Eagles Wings" - I not only work to explain but my ultimate goal is to assist others in managing the bumps, pits, and cracks. For our very reward depends on how well we accomplish that task. Let this blog become an addition to the work I do. I pray that those I talk to on Facebook will read it to gain a better understanding of me, my relationship with God, and why I feel it so necessary to post Scriptures and warnings about sin. I pray that those who attend On Eagles Wings Life Groups will read this and that whatever God places in my heart to say will motivate them to continue on the right path. I pray that my Christianity 101 Class and Bible Discussion Group will find information here to add to their daily learning. (Yes, I said daily - have you done your homework?). I pray that my family and friends will read this and see what God is doing in my life.
I pray that through my words - God's words coming through me - you will find that most precious relationship a person could ever have in this life. A relationship with Jesus that surpasses all of our understanding and expectations of a perfect relationship. And that you will be able to learn how to deepen that relationship so when life gets hard, you will know how to lean on Him and just breathe.
Love to all,
Debby
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