Caged Chickens

My children, listen to me. Listen to your father's instruction. Pay attention and grow wise, for I am giving you good guidance. Don't turn away from my teaching. Learn to be wise, and develop good judgment. Don't forget or turn away from my words. Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And whatever else you do, get good judgment. My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths. If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won't limp or stumble as you run. Carry out my instructions; don't forsake them. Guard them, for they will lead you to a fulfilled life. Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. Don't lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning. (Proverbs 4:1-2; 5-7; 10-13; 20-22, NLV).

I read a story several years ago about some chickens that had been bought from a poultry farm. They were chickens who had lived their entire lives in a cage. They were taken out to a ranch and turned loose to freely run in the chicken yard and go in and out of the chicken house at will. As they were placed on the chicken house floor they didn't move. They had lived in cages all their life so they just stayed right in the chicken house. They didn't even know how to roost. They didn't even get up on the roost at night. They stayed huddled together on the floor. They were used to sleeping under a light because the poultry farmer kept a light lamp on them to make them lay more eggs. Men have devised ways to get the most out of everything, no matter if it's good for the animal or not. Because they were used to the light, they would sleep outside huddled under the moon on the ground. They didn't even know how to drink water the regular way because they had drunk water out of a little bottle with a little red tip on it. They had always gone over and pushed that little tip and gotten their water out. There they had fresh running water yet they didn't even know how to drink. One of them almost drowned trying to learn how to drink. These chickens didn't know what freedom was. I don't know if they would have ever enjoyed their freedom without someone to teach them what to do. Since there were some older chickens that were already there, the new ones watched them for awhile and they discovered a new way of living. Living with the older chickens for a time and learning from them they got liberated. They found out that they could go anyplace in the barnyard. But it took them a while.

There is a wonderful spiritual lesson in this story. Humans are very much the same. We are creatures of habit. We don't realize it, but we do things out of habit. Sometimes God wants to break old habits and old things in our life. Many Christians bring them over into the Christian walk. God begins to show us a better way, as our old habits are not fit for God's kingdom or His house. If somebody comes and visits your house and they have bad habits you'll tolerate them on short-term bases. If they just come for a day and during their visit they're not very neat and they do some things that you don't like you will usually tolerate it. Most of the time out of the graciousness of your heart you won't say anything, you just put up with it and when they leave you clean up behind them. You will tolerate the messes they make on short-term basis. However, if somebody comes to live with you, the rules are different. You may say, "Wait a minute. We have rules in this house. Here is how we live here. We do not do these things in this house."

It's the same way with our Heavenly Father. When we come to God's house with some bad habits. He begins to show us the way out of bondage. He brings us into a New Kingdom and now that we are living in His house His rules are different. God gives us commandments and some rules so that we know what is acceptable in His house. In our house, if someone came to live with us, there would be certain rules they would be asked to follow. We like our house neat and clean. And God likes His house neat and clean too. So He says those filthy things that you used to do are not acceptable in His house. However, it is important to remember that keeping the laws do not get us to heaven. Only faith in Jesus does that. Keeping God's commandments is the evidence that we are Christ's children, as we desire to obey Him. Many of God's people when they first come into the kingdom don't know how to respond to this new freedom. God is saying to us in His Word that He now wants to show us a new way. That way is by faith, walking in the Spirit and trusting God to break the old habits. He gave us His Commandments so we might be blessed and live in harmony with one another in this earth. Grace gets us in the house, and then we are to live as under that grace!