“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
A lonely lady lived alone, and she didn’t like it. Finally, she decided to do something about her loneliness. She went to a pet store and looked at all the dogs, cats, hamsters, turtles, and goldfish that were for sale, hoping to find a pet that would be good company. None of the pets really made the woman happy and she was ready to give up when the pet store owner showed her a very expensive parrot.
“Does it talk” she asked. “Yes ma’am,” the owner replied, “He’s a genuine chatterbox.” The woman was thrilled. Excitedly, she paid $2000 for the parrot and his cage.
A week later, the woman came back to the pet shop and said, “I want my money back. I paid $2000 for my talking bird and he doesn’t talk at all.” The pet store owner said, “Ma’am, he will talk if you just entice him a little bit. Put some things in his cage with him.” She agreed and the pet shop owner sold her a mirror for the bird to look at himself and a ladder for the bird to run up and down. When the items were totaled up, it cost the lady $50.
A week later, the woman returned to the pet store. She was madder than a hornet. She said, “My talking bird still will not talk.” The pet shop owner said, “Ma’am, you have to entice him a little more. What you need to do is get him a bell to ring and a swing to swing on. He will get so excited, he will talk.” She said, “Okay.” By the time she left the pet store, she had paid another $50.
A week later, the woman stomped back into the pet store. She was visibly angry.
“I want you to know that my talking bird is dead. He is dead, dead, dead and I’m out $2100,” she huffed.
“You’re kidding. That bird was healthy when I sold him to you 3 weeks ago,” the pet store owner said.
“Well, he’s dead now. He’s deader than a hammer. He swung on his swing. He rang his bell. He looked at himself in the mirror. He ran up and down his ladder. Then he fell on his little back in the bottom of the cage. He kicked his little legs up in the air and he blew out his last breath. He’s dead. My talking bird is dead.”
“I am so sorry.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, he finally said something before he died.”
“Really? What did he say?”
“Right before he died, my bird looked at me and said, ‘Hey dummy! Don’t they have any bird seed at that pet store!’”
The point is: You can have all the bells and whistles this world has to offer, but without Jesus, you will be dead. We have all sinned. As far as God is concerned, we deserve the death penalty, but He provided a way to have life. God gave His Son to die in our place, and all who believe on Him are saved.
Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, is food for your soul. There is no need to let your hunger for spiritual nourishment go unsatisfied. All you need is abundantly available in Jesus.
Don’t starve to death.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
James Collins is a pastor at First Southern Baptist Church. He can be reached through the website www.thepointis.net or by email at [email protected].