Walk Like a Chicken

Posted on May 15, 2013 by R.E. Clark
Walking Like a Chicken

Watch Your Step!

A lady approached her pastor with tears in her eyes. “I have spread tales about you, pastor. I am so sorry,” she cried. The pastor offered his full and free forgiveness, but then made a strange request of the woman. “Do you own any chickens,” he asked. The lady answered in the affirmative and then heard the pastor’s instructions.

Time to Pluck a Chicken

He told her to go home and kill one of her chickens and begin to travel around town with the dead chicken. She was to pluck a feather from the bird and and lay it on the doorstep of each home where she had told the tale about the pastor. She was to then return to the pastor. Sorrow prompted her immediate obedience.

After returning, the pastor told her, “Now go back to each door and collect the feathers!” The woman replied with amazement, “Pastor, by this time those feathers have blown all over town!” Then she fell silent as the reality of her actions settled upon her.

Time to Walk Like a Chicken

The wisest man who ever lived wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. In the fifth chapter he said, “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth;Therefore let your words be few.“~Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

The best way to prevent gossip is
to keep your mouth closed!

The two words translated “walk prudently” carry the meaning of guarding your steps. But they also hold a deeper connotation of not being a tale bearer. Interesting is the fact that Solomon warned about tale bearing in the house of God. He further gave instruction on how to make sure that we were not tale bearers. Draw near to hear rather than speak. Do not speak too quickly. In other words the best way to prevent gossip is to keep your mouth closed!

Time to Keep Your Chicken Feathered

The incentive for this lies in the truth that God is in heaven and from His perspective of omniscience He knows all that transpires here on the earth. Not only what we say, but our intent in saying it. As Solomon said, “Let your words be few.” And as I say, “It will keep your chickens alive and feathered!”

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I Hear Voices!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by R.E. Clark
Hearing Voices of Conscience

I Hear Voices–Do You?

 

I hear voices. Now before you call the men with the funny clothes that zip up in the back, hear what I have to say. In other words, hear my voice.

Voices Everywhere!

It seems that everywhere I go there are voices. All sorts of electronics have been given human voices that are constantly giving us direction. GPS devices tell us when and where to turn. Elevators announce that we have arrived at our floor. Microwave ovens tell us our food is warmed. Our phones ring with voices that tell us who is on the other end before we have answered the call.

Voices From the Inside

It seems we hear every voice except the inner voice that all of us have. We call it our conscience. This gift from God sets us apart from all of creation. It is the voice of self that reports the condition of our souls in relation to that which we know. Paul put it this way: “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.~”Titus 1:15

An old American Indian legend defined the conscience as a three sided object that resides in the chest of man. When a man does wrong his conscience turns and the sharp corners jab him on the inside prompting him to acknowledge his guilt.

The voice of conscience speaks
quietly from the shadows,
“It happened because you muted my voice.”
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The legend goes on to say that there is a problem with the conscience, however. If it is spun enough times the corners are worn away, and though it spins, there is no longer a response deep within the soul. The conscience is silenced in effect.

Voices From the Outside

Recently, we have experienced one horrible act of mankind stacked upon another. Each time we gasp at the depravity put upon display for all to see. Each time we remark that it certainly cannot get any worse and then to our amazement it does.

The spiral towards total degradation began when the conscience of mankind was silenced.
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How can all of this be happening? The answer is not that men are more wicked today than ever. The problem is not that men have access to evil more readily today. The spiral towards total degradation began when the conscience of mankind was silenced.

Conscience was described as an inhibitor. It was relegated to a particular era of piety. The guardian of the soul was bombarded until its corners were worn away. Now smoothed and polished, we see the results in the faces of men and women who are charged with the most heinous crimes. They stand before us with empty eyes and solemn, uncaring expressions.

The Only Voices That Matter

We ask again and again, “How could this happen?” And the voice of conscience speaks quietly from the shadows, “It happened because you muted my voice.”

I hear voices and it’s a good thing. How about you?

So what to you think? Leave a comment and let me know!

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He’s a Mama’s Boy

Posted on May 12, 2013 by R.E. Clark

 

Mama's Boy Always

Always A Mama’s Boy

 

You have heard many times the phrase, “He’s a mama’s boy”. Most of the time it is in reference to a young man who has been coddled and protected by his mother. In the end, the man has a difficult time standing on his own two feet. Every problem sends him running to hide behind his mother’s skirt.

An Unnamed Mama’s Boy

There is an account in the Bible that tells of an unnamed son. As a matter of fact, we have no details of this son’s life past the first week or so of his life. We know nothing of his father and his mother was of less than reputable character. She was a prostitute.

This little fellow had a playmate that he never really knew, but the story of his friend’s short life would have remained with him all of his days. This son of a prostitute had been in the presence of the king, but more than this, he was loved my his mother.

He had felt the cold blade of a sword pressed against his soft skin and he had heard the plea of his mother for his life to be spared. He had heard the gasp of the court as they heard King Solomon say, ‘”Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword before the king.”~I Kings 3:24

An Undisputed Mama’s Boy

He could not have understood the dispute that existed between his mother and another woman. He could not remember the night he was taken from his mother’s bosom and replaced with the body of his little dead friend.

This woman’s baby had died in the night. Only three days had separated his birth from that of his friend. She had concocted a way to exchange her dead child with the little boy at the center of our story.

An Unmistakable Mama’s Boy

The one thing that she had not considered was the extra three days. These days of examination. These days when this little boy’s mama would have counted his fingers and toes, brushed her hand across the fine hairs of his head, looked deep into his eyes, and traced the curve of his ears. She knew her child and no one could steal him away in the night.

The case of the stolen baby came before the king. Each woman claiming the living child as her own. Solomon in his wisdom asked that a sword be brought and that the child be divided with half going to each woman.

An Undivided Mama’s Boy

But this little fellow’s mama immediately surrendered all rights that he might live. The other woman demanded division and the king had his answer to the dilemma. Only a real mother would love a child enough to lose him.

This little boy could not remember any of this story except what he had been told, but he could never forget the love of his mother. He was truly a mama’s boy!

May all the sons and daughters remember today the love of their mama and thank God for the days of remembering.

Just in case you forgot your mama on Mother’s Day, you can get her a copy of Glasses in the Grass: Devotions for My Friends here.

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An Inheritance to Count On

Posted on May 1, 2013 by R.E. Clark

An Inheritance to Count On

Can You Count on An Inheritance?

It is very easy to get distracted by a world that operates in numbers that start with a “t.” You and I have a difficult time even wrapping our minds around a trillion. If you count really fast you might be able to count up to 200 in a minute. Then if you had the stamina to keep counting at the same rate it would take you 9500 years to count to one trillion. With trillions being thrown about like confetti it is easy to get sidetracked.

An Inheritance from Heaven

David put his life in perspective because he did not focus on the world around him, but on the heaven above him. He said, “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.“~Psalms 16:5-9

Let the Lord determine the size of your cup!
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Notice how David measured his life. He began by confessing that the Lord was the portion by which his inheritance was determined. Imagine that! David did not use any measure found on the earth; he let the Lord be the size of his cup.

An Inheritance That Is Everlasting

It is one thing to receive an inheritance; it is another to keep it. David concluded that his inheritance came from the Lord, but his inheritance would also be maintained by God. What a blessing! He declared that God Himself would sustain the value of all David possessed. But it gets even better…

God never slumbers nor sleeps: Why should we both stay up?
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Where some might gain a huge inheritance, how many would then find their life ruined by the riches? David answers this dilemma. He announces that it is the same Lord that gives and maintains which also gives counsel. No sleep is lost over wealth for God instructs in the night as well. My old uncle used to say that he never lost sleep due to worry. The way he figured it, God never slumbers nor sleeps, so why should both of them stay up.

An Inheritance That Is Beyond Counting

David concluded that he simply would not be moved with God at his side. He would be glad and rest in hope. By the way, if David had started counting to a trillion in his day and was still alive and counting today, he would still have over 600 billion to go!

Quit counting and trust the One who maintains your life.

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Responding to Terror

Posted on April 25, 2013 by R.E. Clark
Our Response to Terror

Everyone Responds to Terror

Another thought has come to mind about the recent terrorist’s attack upon our nation. Although the bombs exploded in Boston, somehow we have taken ownership of the attack as a nation. This is a good thing since we are the United States of America.

It is time to realize that the real terror is not a bomb blast.
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Responding to Terror Patriotically

There is, however, more than just a patriotic response to what has occurred. We must be careful to not only respond to this attack out of our own strength and resilience. If we are not sensitive to God’s hand at work, we will attempt to shake this episode off and all of us will pick up the slogan of the Bostonians. Instead of “Boston Strong”, we will be saying things like, “American Strong”.

Now before you start declaring me unpatriotic or uncaring, please hear what I have to say. Although we should make a strong stand against those who try to harm us, we should not let some sense of our own self-reliance hide what God is saying to us as a nation through these incidents.

Responding to Terror Morally

It is clearly evident that we, as a nation, have turned away from the Lord. We reel in horror at the death of those killed at the marathon, while we dismiss a doctor who left breathing babies to die after botched abortions. For those little ones, being wrenched from their mother’s wombs was just as much an act of terror as a bomb exploding at the feet of unsuspecting spectators.

Where are the defenders of the truly innocent?
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My only question is, “Where are the defenders of the truly innocent?” There is no greater sense of being strong than when we protect those who have no strength.

Responding to Terror Spiritually

It is fine to hold up a sign saying, “Boston Strong”, but we will never really be strong until our self-reliance ends. Oswald Chambers said: Complete weakness is always the occasion of the Spirit of God manifesting His power. The Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”~Philippians 4:13 Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”~John 15:5

America, it is time to realize that the real terror is not a bomb blast. The real terror is a nation that forgets that their real strength lies not within themselves, but in their God.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”~Psalms 33:12

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

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