| Wild Birds |
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Just outside of a small country store a young man named Johnny was carrying a cage of
wild birds. As I walked getting closer to the young man I remembered back to my
childhood days, I too had a bird. A great pet he was till he passed. How I cried that day.
As I approached Johnny seemed to be scolding the birds or something I wasn't sure till I
got to where he was. Sure enough he was threatening them as if they spoke the same
language. I asked him as I started to pass by
What's the matter they have been bad?
No, Johnny said "they are just dumb birds"
Dumb? Why do you say that?
Mister, haven't you seen a wild bird before? They so dumb they don't even have
a home. They just wander around.
Yes I have. I'm wondering what are you going to do with these dumb old birds?
Take them home to the woods, play with them a while, probably poke them with
a stick, and kill them.
This immediately struck a nerve with me. Seeing a child torment these birds for no
reason, why he should be beat.
Is that so? Let me ask you this, how much do you want for them?
Mister, you don't want these old birds, they are worthless, ain't even worth killin'
really!
Never mind that, how much?
Seeing an opportunity the young man had to make a dollar or two, he thought about a
price. Mister, if you want these birds it's going to be high. $1.00 a piece.
A high price it was indeed, but I paid Johnny just the same and took my cage of wild
birds. I skipped the trip to the store entirely and headed back to my car where I placed
my new friends in the truck for safe passage. I drove out of town by the state park down
by the lake. I took the cage of birds over to a picnic table and opened the cage wit ha
"YOU'RE FREE". Funny things though, they never moved toward the exit. It was like it
didn't exist. I laid the cage over a bit and ushered them out with my hand onto the picnic
table, but as soon as I set the cage back upright they filed back in one by one. Strangest
thing I ever saw, then it occurred to me, they have been in there so long they have
forgotten what freedom is like. They have become institutionalized for a lack of better
terms. They've been in the cage so long that it has become their home, place of
familiarity.
And so it was as I walked into church the following Sunday carrying this cage to the pulpit
and retold my story a different way.
One day God met Satan walking the earth and ask him what he was up to. Satan replied
"nothing just playing with these humans."
What are you doing with these humans?
Just playing, making a few suffer from disease, making them fight each other, just playing.
How much do you want for them?
You don't want them, they're worthless, bunch of thieves, whores, murderers, worthless.
Never you mind, how much?
Price is high, a life for their lives.
"DONE"
God gave his only son to set us free from the institution of sin. To open the cage of this
world to freedom eternal, but yet most of us never embrace our freedom to its fullest, but
remain in our sins of familiarity. Even most of us like to visit the cage from time to time
just to see our old person. What a shame to waste such a high price paid. The door is
open, never look back. Live this life for Christ.
wild birds. As I walked getting closer to the young man I remembered back to my
childhood days, I too had a bird. A great pet he was till he passed. How I cried that day.
As I approached Johnny seemed to be scolding the birds or something I wasn't sure till I
got to where he was. Sure enough he was threatening them as if they spoke the same
language. I asked him as I started to pass by
What's the matter they have been bad?
No, Johnny said "they are just dumb birds"
Dumb? Why do you say that?
Mister, haven't you seen a wild bird before? They so dumb they don't even have
a home. They just wander around.
Yes I have. I'm wondering what are you going to do with these dumb old birds?
Take them home to the woods, play with them a while, probably poke them with
a stick, and kill them.
This immediately struck a nerve with me. Seeing a child torment these birds for no
reason, why he should be beat.
Is that so? Let me ask you this, how much do you want for them?
Mister, you don't want these old birds, they are worthless, ain't even worth killin'
really!
Never mind that, how much?
Seeing an opportunity the young man had to make a dollar or two, he thought about a
price. Mister, if you want these birds it's going to be high. $1.00 a piece.
A high price it was indeed, but I paid Johnny just the same and took my cage of wild
birds. I skipped the trip to the store entirely and headed back to my car where I placed
my new friends in the truck for safe passage. I drove out of town by the state park down
by the lake. I took the cage of birds over to a picnic table and opened the cage wit ha
"YOU'RE FREE". Funny things though, they never moved toward the exit. It was like it
didn't exist. I laid the cage over a bit and ushered them out with my hand onto the picnic
table, but as soon as I set the cage back upright they filed back in one by one. Strangest
thing I ever saw, then it occurred to me, they have been in there so long they have
forgotten what freedom is like. They have become institutionalized for a lack of better
terms. They've been in the cage so long that it has become their home, place of
familiarity.
And so it was as I walked into church the following Sunday carrying this cage to the pulpit
and retold my story a different way.
One day God met Satan walking the earth and ask him what he was up to. Satan replied
"nothing just playing with these humans."
What are you doing with these humans?
Just playing, making a few suffer from disease, making them fight each other, just playing.
How much do you want for them?
You don't want them, they're worthless, bunch of thieves, whores, murderers, worthless.
Never you mind, how much?
Price is high, a life for their lives.
"DONE"
God gave his only son to set us free from the institution of sin. To open the cage of this
world to freedom eternal, but yet most of us never embrace our freedom to its fullest, but
remain in our sins of familiarity. Even most of us like to visit the cage from time to time
just to see our old person. What a shame to waste such a high price paid. The door is
open, never look back. Live this life for Christ.
| Scriptures to Study John 8:32-36 Romans 6:18,20,22-23 |