the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Daily Devotionals
Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
Yesterday I witnessed one of those little life vignettes that often go unnoticed by most of us humans. As I was pulling out of the parking lot of our bank I saw three black birds standing around a piece of paper that looked to be about four inches square. The feathers around their necks were ruffled and they were seemingly challenging each other. One of the three flew away and the other two positioned themselves on opposite sides of the piece of paper.
They had evidently found the cast off remains of some sort of food product, probably a candy bar that had melted in the sun the day before. With the paper between them they began picking at the surface of the paper. The black bird that had left was standing on a nearby curb watching intently. A robin flew in and was quickly dispatched to the curb also. A moment later a sparrow joined the onlookers.
Another typical day in the life of the powerful against the weak. Don't know how fierce a robin can be but the robin I saw was rather easily disparaged from the feast. The odd thing was the fact that relegation to watcher status brought three different kinds of birds together in close proximity. I guess when you're on the outside looking in breeding isn't an issue. Neither should race be.
We are all on the outside of eternity looking in. There are those who seek exclusivity and so they keep others at bay, jealously guarding the kingdom of God as though it were their own. It never crosses their mind to share what they have with others. So the others just watch; excluded because of race or standing. Such was not God's intent at the beginnig and such is not His intent now.
God had to teach Peter this very lesson. In Acts 10:9-16 God instructed Peter that nothing He had made was to be considered common or unclean. He was preparing Peter for a visit with a Gentile needing Jesus. Peter ministered to the household of Cornelius and reached them with the gospel. His response is noteworthy for us. "In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." Acts 10:34, 35 It's time to share our own little piece of paper.
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' Copyright 2010 © Tom Kelley. 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with their complete bio and a link to https://www.studylight.org/ 2) 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
