Pride And Arrogance Come To Ruin

Each year on the farm, we would buy day-old chicks — 150 of them. Three large boxes with fifty female chicks in each would be delivered to the farm by a transport truck. The chicks rode in the cab to keep them from getting a chill. For every 50 chicks, the supplier would put in one extra chick. These tiny chicks spent their days under the brooder, except to come out for feed and water. It was very important to make sure that the temperature was warm enough, or they would smother one another trying to get to the heat.

One year, we got two roosters amongst the free ones. One was a beautiful, pure white bird. The other was an absolutely gorgeous bird. Every colour that God had ever put on a rooster was on this second bird.

In the fall, we cleaned and disinfected the henhouse. On a designated evening as it was getting dark, we would catch and carry the young chickens to the henhouse.

Difficulties started to appear in the henhouse. When I went to feed grain and water, Mr. Gorgeous was hard to find. When I looked under the rows of nests, there he was, cowering in the back corner, afraid to come out. I knew that he would die if I did not rescue him from the white rooster, who had made himself "The Boss".

I called Uncle Archie and asked him if he could take this gorgeous rooster to his farm. Absolutely! I caught the rooster using a chicken catcher — a rigid wire with a hook on the end. He went in a box and was transported to his new home.

The white rooster became so mean and arrogant that he would attack anyone going in to feed the chickens and gather eggs. Sadly, it became too dangerous to keep him, so we had to shorten The Boss's lifespan.

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, haughtiness before a fall. (NLT)

James 4:6b-7a – God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves before God. (NLT)

We should have the same attitude as God's Son Jesus, who humbled Himself to die for us on Calvary.

Philippians 2:5-11 – In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NIV 2011)

Do we give the air of knowing it all, or do we help others to feel at ease when they talk to us?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to live our lives as an encouragement to others so that our witness and testimony inspire others to see Christ in our lives. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

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