It was a beautiful day and the air was very still. So why was the plastic bag in the garbage barrel moving like that? There must be something alive in that barrel! Walking over for a closer look, I decided to see what was going on.
Sure enough, I found a bird — a seagull — looking up at me. It had a frightened look in its eyes. It must have been looking for food and thought it would find something good in the garbage barrel. But when it wanted to get back out, there was no room for its large wings to flap, and so it was stuck.
Seagulls are one of the birds included in the list of creatures that God called “unclean” in the Bible in the book of Leviticus. They were called “unclean” because of their dirty habits of living or eating. God told the children of Israel not to eat these creatures that had “unclean” natures. But He also gave them another list of creatures that they could eat. These creatures had “clean” habits of living and eating — they had “clean” natures.
In Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23) we learn something about ourselves. It says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” You and I have an “unclean nature” because it is our nature to sin. This sinful nature gets us into trouble, which we cannot get out of by ourselves. Not even our friends or relatives can help us.
Let’s go back to the trapped seagull. Was there any hope that it could be freed? Yes! The seagull was easily released from his prison when I tipped over the barrel. He just walked out and flew away. As he glided over the water, he seemed glad to be free.
Is there any hope that a sinner can be freed from his sins? Yes! God is able. “God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:1717For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17)). If you know that you are lost, which simply means that you still haven’t come to the Lord Jesus to be saved from your sins, there is good news for you. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)).
Here’s another story about an “unclean” animal. What happened to it was different.
One time when two friends were outside, they heard some scratching sounds in a garbage can. They discovered a mouse inside. The steep, slippery sides of the can kept him trapped in there. He could not get out of his prison, so one of the friends tipped over the can to let him out. The mouse walked out to the edge and looked around ... then he turned and went back in again. There were a few scraps of food in the garbage can and he apparently didn’t want to leave them, so the friends stood the can up again.
Do you think the mouse was foolish? He could have had his freedom, but instead he chose to stay in his garbage can prison for a few scraps of food. Millions of people are just as foolish as that little mouse. They would rather stay in their sins than be set free and belong to the Lord Jesus.
Which one of these “unclean” creatures are you like? If you trust in the Lord Jesus, you will be free from your sins. But if you refuse to trust in the Lord Jesus, you will die in your sins.
And if you are already a Christian, it’s good to think about what you are “eating” each day. If you are reading your Bible, thinking about what you read, and letting the Lord change you through it, you are “eating” good food that will feed the clean nature He has given you. If you think about the things that come from the world, things very easily found on the Internet, “feeding” on those things by letting them fill your eyes and your minds, you are “eating” bad food that will feed the “unclean” nature. This is not healthy for you and won’t help you grow in the things that make you a strong, happy Christian. What are you going to feed your soul on today?
Messages of God’s Love 3/21/2021