In the backyard of her suburban home, my friend Mandy has four chickens. Her husband, a talented carpenter, built them a beautiful coop and run, custom designing it for their well being. There's a nesting box for each hen to lay her eggs. There are several roosts, giving them ample space in which to settle for the night. The chicken-wire run protects them from predators and shades them from the sun.
Since their arrival, Mandy has had daily opportunities to learn the nature of chickens. Listen to her words as she describes their characteristics:
"Typically, they will stick together all day. In the morning when we let them out, they start the hunt for bugs. Scratch and poke. Scratch and poke. Over and over all morning."
Chickens stay together. Chickens hunt for bugs. It is their nature.
"Each will wait her turn to lay in the mornings. Sometimes one will stand in the same laying box while another is laying. Often, one will sit on top of the other until it's her turn. Patience isn't their virtue."
Chickens aren't patient. It isn't their nature.
In the evenings, they will walk to their run, climb the plank into the coop, jump on the shared roost, and go nighty night. No one has to tell them to do this. . . "
Chickens find a sheltered place to sleep and go there at bedtime. It is their nature.
"Penelope is the most beautiful to look at, but has the mean streak in her. She will attack small dogs."
Some chickens are vicious. They attack suspected predators. It is their nature.
Human beings have a nature too. Contrary to what Secular Humanists would like you to think, this nature is not good. Listen to what God's word has to say about our human nature.
"We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath.," (Ephesians 2:3)
Left to our human nature, God's word says, we do not naturally choose those things that please Him. As I think back to my life before I had a relationship with Christ, I realize that my default mode was to serve myself, not God, or anyone else for that matter. I was on the throne of my life.
Thankfully, God does not leave us to ourselves. Recognizing the helplessness and hopelessness of our condition, He made a way.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)." (Ephesians 2:4-5)
He made a way for us to throw ourselves on his mercy, ask him to forgive our sins, and invite the living, resurrected Christ to make his home within our hearts.
"For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
With that salvation comes a new nature. One that is much more like Christ and much less like me.
"Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:6)
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God."
"Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth."
"Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them."
"But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,"
"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."
"But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."
"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3)
This is our new nature.
It sure beats scratching in the dirt and eating bugs, now doesn't it? Are there parts of your old nature that you need to surrender to the Lord and ask him to change? Why not do so today?
It sure does! Thanks for this chicken analogy, Lori!
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