Chicken Scratch

One of the funniest things to watch is a group of hens scratching around the yard. It's a comical scratch, peck and step routine. Little chicken feet moving to the beat of an imaginary Rumba tune while their beaks poke at the ground hoping for a bug or seed or worm. They go about their day, doing this dance for hours, hunting and pecking, barely scraping the surface of the ground.. Even if their scratching and pecking doesn't bring up a tasty morsel, they get some grains of sand or dirt grit that they swallow. The reason they need that gritty sand is because they swallow hard grains and bugs whole. The grit goes to their gizzard where it aids in the digestion of food. Sounds yummy, huh? The only
downside to the chicken scratch is that it isn't enough to feed them. The keeper of the chickens still has to provide ample food for them
every day.

Some people approach reading the Bible the same way a chicken moves around the yard. They aimlessly wander through it hunting and pecking at a few little morsels. They barely scratch the surface of the nitty gritty. They swallow a few verses whole and hope it digests in their spirit. The downside to that is that it won't really feed them. Our Keeper has given us ample food to nourish and sustain us. All we have to do is take a few minutes to sit down and eat. Our Heavenly Father, our Keeper, has given us not only tasty little morsels but deeply satisfying meals of truth in His word.


So ladies take your time when reading the Word. Look up the foot notes, read it in another version, find it in the original Greek or Hebrew, use a study Bible and dissect it for a truly satisfying meal. I guarantee it'll be far better than any chicken scratch.





*FYI – Did you know that the only
mention of chickens, in the Bible, was by Jesus, himself!





Mt 23:37- "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her!
how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"

This is so true. Many people want to pick and choose verses to get their point or veiw across, yet we're told that we should take the Bible as the whole, precept upon precept. Too often people will take things out of context or not understand the original context of the scripture. This is one reason there are so many differing religious doctrines out there.

I thought this went well with your devotional:

Time for What Matters – Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org

Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

—Ephesians 5:16–17

So what is the difference between a lie and an excuse? Not all that much. An excuse has been defined as the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie. Or another way to put it: an excuse is a lie all dressed up for dinner.

Even after we become Christians, we can still offer excuses. And sometimes we make excuses as to why we can't read the Bible: "Well, I am so busy. This life is so full. I just can't find time to read the Bible." Or, "The Bible is so big. I don't know where to start." Or, "Sometimes I don't understand it." Or, "You know, I read the Bible in church on Sunday. Isn't that enough?" These are excuses, not reasons.

Let's say that you got a call this week from your doctor, who said, "You know those tests we did on you? We need to talk." And when you meet with your doctor, you learn that you only have weeks to live. I would venture to say that your schedule would open up and that you would have time to read the Bible, because you would want to know about the afterlife that you are headed toward. I would predict that you would have time to pray, because you would need God's strength to get through what lies ahead.

You see, it all depends on our perspective. We will make time for what is important. We find time to read the newspaper. We find time to watch our favorite TV programs. We find time to surf the Web and spend hours looking at nothing. And yet we don't have time to open up the Word of God and let Him speak to us.

We need to make time for the things that really matter.

A lie dressed up for dinner.... I have to remember that one!

Excellent devotionals. I can honestly say I don't read the Bible like I should. I have been reading more since I got it on my Nook because I can sit out back on the porch where it is quiet in the morning and read without fighting the wind flipping the pages.

No excuses for not reading it. I just don't at times. I have tried to read without too many teachings and opinions. Those are what got me in trouble in the first place.....