Anybody remember the Little Red Hen story?Read below this post.
That's a side of God that is simultaneously true with the very opposite....they are both in the Bible. How does that work? I have absolutely no idea. The red hen emphasises that the one who does the work and reaps the reward is in a place of honour all their own. To the one who has shall more be given. The thrust of the parables in Matthew 25. Yet right at the same time in the One Bible you have Ruth....the one with the baby...giving it back to Naomi the mother in law. You also have David instructing his army to give the some of the spoil to those who were too scared to go out and join them. You also have passages quoted in Acts 2 ...the very start of the church...so it's important....about God being found by a people who are Not A People.The Jews have spent all this time carrying the Name of God...they totally miss Jesus....and the whole thing is flung out to a people who weren't even looking. And God is doing just the same with the Church at the moment. That is,they are not in the least bit interested in the third level so He is going straight to the hedgerows and gutters and compelling those who hadn't the least interest into the Kingdom. "The kingdom is taken from you and given to a"nation"...( built entirely of those who were no people) who are bearing the fruit thereof.
Here's another question from Jesus. Which person pleases the Father?
The one who says......yes yes......and doesn't do what he promised.
Or the one who says no no no......but actually goes away and does it?
The third level is actually all about doing...but it is a doing that comes out of being.
Religion is all about doing..but it's a doing that isn't coming out of relationship. So ultimately it's dead. It's like a mule that is sterile. There can be no on going fruit because the thing itself is dead. The doing in religion is more like a mask.....Or figleaves....hiding the fact that there is nothing there. If Cain had had a relationship with God like Abel then he'd have known that trying to "appease God" with a sacrifice of some of his harvest wasn't going to cut it. Abel had been sensitive to Gods heart and heard Him say.....now busy yourself with a lamb. Now sacrifice this very lamb that you have cared for. He will die in your stead.
Abel was moving from revelation. Inner revelation.
So what must we do?
Jesus says believe on Me. Believe that I am the One sent from God. Believe that this normal looking man was born supernatural of God..and the same supernatural replacement is going on in your body. You have died....and it is now not you who live but Christ who lives within you. Yes.....to your left brain it sounds nuts...but we don't live in the lie of the outward things..Which, by the way were never accurate anyway. We live in and by the Spirit.
Yeah....but what must we DO?
I have absolutely no idea. Nor do you. That's the point as I was thinking today and this is why religion can never work. You see how can I or you know what the Living God will choose to do through your and my body? We can have rough ideas but the truth is neither you nor I know for sure....but we have to believe ON THIS HEART.. that as Proverbs says from it flow the issues of Life. You say.....well dunno about you but from my heart issues loads of bad temper!!! Well in this case we're not talking about surface drives and emotions which can vary like the wind. NOPE....this use of heart is our inner centre. When people talk of centering down. This is about Raw You...authentic you as designed by our heavenly Father....circumcised you....that is....your heart having been circumcised of flesh and worry and fear and lust pulls....
Functions now as the real you. Christ you. Christ the source of all genuine Life.
Once upon a time, a lamb, a cat, a pig, and a little red hen lived on an old farm on a flowery hill surrounded by fields of golden wheat. One day, the Little Red Hen found some grains of wheat scattered in the barnyard. "Look what I've found!" she said to the other animals. "Who will help me plant these grains of wheat?"
"Not I!" said the lamb.
"Not I!" said the cat.
"Not I!" said the pig.
"Then I'll do it myself," said the Little Red Hen. And so she did. She knew that seeds need water to grow tall and strong. "Who will help me water these seeds?" asked the Little Red Hen.
"Not I!" said the lamb.
"Not I!" said the cat.
"Not I!" said the pig.
"Then I'll do it myself," said the Little Red Hen. And so she did. The Little Red Hen watered the soil and waited patiently for the wheat to grow. When the wheat was tall and golden, she knew it was ready to be cut. "Who will help me harvest the wheat?" asked the Little Red Hen.
"Not I!" said the lamb.
"Not I!" said the cat.
"Not I!" said the pig.
"Then I'll do it myself," said the Little Red Hen. And so she did. The Little Red Hen's basket was soon filled with wheat. "Who will help me take the wheat to the mill to be ground into flour?" asked the Little Red Hen.
"Not I!" said the lamb
"Not I!" said the cat.
"Not I!" said the pig.
"Then I'll do it myself," said the Little Red Hen. And so she did. The kind miller ground the wheat into powdery, velvety flour, and the Little Red Hen carried it home in a rough brown sack. "Who will help me make this flour into bread?" asked the Little Red Hen.
"Not I!" said the lamb.
"Not I!" said the cat.
"Not I!" said the pig.
"Then I'll do it myself," said the Little Red Hen. And so she did. The Little Red Hen mixed the flour into sticky dough and kneaded it into a smooth loaf. "Who will help me put this bread into the oven to bake?" asked the Little Red Hen.
"Not I!" said the lamb.
"Not I!" said the cat.
"Not I!" said the pig.
"Then I'll do it myself," said the Little Red Hen. And so she did. The kitchen filled with the delicious scent of baking bread, and the other animals came to see what was happening. The Little Red Hen took the warm, crusty loaf out of the oven, and set it on the table. "Who will help me eat this fresh, tasty bread?" asked the Little Red Hen.
"I will!" said the lamb.
"I will!" said the cat.
"I will!" said the pig.
"No, you will not," said the Little Red Hen. "You didn't help me plant it, or water it, or harvest it, or mill it, or bake it. I shall eat it myself!" And so she did.
"Oh me!" said the lamb.
"Oh my!" said the cat.
"Oh me, oh my!" said the pig.
The next time the Little Red Hen found some grains of wheat, the lamb planted it in the rich, brown soil, the cat watered it carefully every day, and the pig harvested the wheat when it had grown tall and strong. When the dough was baked, together the animals made hot chocolate and ate the fresh, warm bread. It was delicious! The animals lived happily ever after, cooperating and helping every day.
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