My wife and I were looking out our window this morning, and she brought something to my attention.
She said, “Look at that crazy bird! He is moving his beak from side to side in the bird feeder trough, knocking all the seed from the bird feeder onto the ground.” I said, “Hum.” And thought, ‘Interesting. I wonder why he is doing that?'
As I watched I saw that he was knocking vast amounts of seed onto the ground. He would then fly to the ground where he and his friends, a multitude of other birds and two squirrels, could eat more easily and freely. I brought this to Marie’s attention. And she said, “Hum, even the birds are looking for an easy way!"
The thought immediately came into my mind. ‘Are people really always looking and taking the easy way?’
As I continued to watch I realized that, unlike the wisdom I was witnessing in this bird, mankind does not seem to be so wise. We constantly struggle through this life, plotting and planning, fighting and manipulating, and devising schemes; working really hard, believing that all our efforts will yield for us a good life. Yet in all these efforts, the life for which we seek always seems to elude us. - Like a jackass constantly striding forward towards a carrot held on a string, we never seem to attain the prize for which we seek.
Then I remembered the words of the Lord. “Therefore, I say to you, take no thought about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body than clothing?” “Look at the birds of the air, for they do not sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?” “Who among you, in all your striving, can add one inch to your stature? “And who among you, in all your concern, think you can cloth yourself? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: They neither work, nor do they spin. Yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:25-29) Then I considered the bird we were witnessing; and life and mankind:
Though we may have to go to work each day and work hard physically in the world in which we presently live. Doing so I think can be very difficult, or it can be very easy. Now one might say, "How can you say that? Either it is hard, or it is easy. Which is it?"
Life will be easy or it will be difficult based upon the platform from which you view it. If you are 'in and of the world' you will inevitably be struggling to find life through it. You will be constantly striving to attain the life you so deeply desire. But if you are in the world, but somehow not of the world; if in some real way you had been taken out of the world and were looking at it from above, life would look quite different!
Can you imagine viewing life from the perspective that you had already attained everything life has to offer? If you already possessed a perfect life, a life that lacked nothing, what more could you possibly need? Suddenly your perspective of life would become very light and airy. For life would be the way it was meant to be, at least from your hearts view.
This is the very life Jesus is referring to in these words to us!
You see, the reason and purpose for Jesus coming to us was that we might possess just such a life! A perfect, indestructible, and incorruptible life. A life in which no sin or death exists; because it is His Life! The scriptures call this life, this righteousness that comes to us from God, Eternal Life. This life is not something that is worked for, nor does it come through human intellect or will. It comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
Think carefully! What life could you possibly fashion for yourself, through your own efforts and works, could match such a life? And this is the only life that can cause you to stand before God himself perfect and unblemished?
In this life we find rest, as well as a new platform from which to view all of life!
Now we too, just like that bird on my feeder, can relish in this seed of eternal life (Jesus), letting that seed spill out all around us for others to enjoy also. Then, just like that bird, we too can flutter down to the earth enjoying the fruit of His labor, resting in it with all our friends, as we enjoy The Life he has freely given us in love! Mo
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