By: Steve Rusk

Earlier this year I wrote an article about Mocking birds that got in my warehouse. I explained that the garage doors were opened and the bird flew in and could not figure a way out. Eventually there were three birds in the warehouse but one lead another one out. The third bird just did not get it. It did not matter if the door was opened or not he just wanted to sit on the rafter and make his presents known. At the end of the day I had to close the doors and go home. That was on a Thursday and it started the weekend for me. I worried about that bird and hated to close the door at the end of the day.

I thought that if I were a bird I would fly near them and let them follow me out of the warehouse.  It just seemed so futile to me that this bird would not follow the other two when they came in and out of the doors.

Fast forward with me about 4 months.  Recently, I was moving pallets and I found that stubborn, little bird under one of the pallets, dead.  It brought to mind all that I believed in Jesus Christ. Many people say this thing about Christianity cannot be true because it just is not fair.

If you don’t believe in Jesus Christ you cannot be adopted into God’s kingdom.  That does seem unfair. But, unfair does not mean it is not true.

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus. Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [Matthew 10:38, 39]

The bird did not follow the others out of the warehouse and died a physical death. We were given an example to live a perfect life and a life of sacrifice. I know that I have never lived or never will live that perfect life, but I am now striving in that direction. I am in a relationship with Christ and want to do his will. I so often fail.

The world is broken and we are so close to it that sometimes we can not even see just how broken it is.  We must follow Jesus Christ in order that we might be in paradise.

Are you going to be like the mocking bird in the warehouse and die or are you going to follow Jesus. My hope for you is that you will follow the way that leads to life eternal…

Pray this prayer with me. Jesus, I need your help. I will follow you out of my life’s problems. I will turn over to you all things in my life and follow you. I have always tried to do things on my own and now it is time to get out of this trapped life by reading and following your words. Thank you for coming to earth to teach us about God and His Grace. Let me be Bold and filled with your Holy Spirit as I make it through this broken world. Amen
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