I have a pet bird named Ariel. He is my little musical buddy, I enjoy spending time with him each day
Ariel likes to sit on my shoulder and have his head scratched. In fact, often if I am not scratching his head, he will hit my ear with his beak and then put his head down to be scratched.
He has a very unique character...
Every once in a while he will hit my ear, put his head down, "give me scratchies" but then nip at my fingers and squawk. This cycle repeats itself a few times. Hit my ear, put his head down, nip at my fingers, "Squawk!" when they try to give him what he is asking for.
It is as if he is saying, "I want you to give me scratchies, but not with your fingers!"
Kinda impossible. Often I will whisper to him, "you look kinda dumb, thinking I can do this without my fingers... just sayin'!'
Normally he finally accepts the fact that I need to use my fingers to give him what he wants.
I thought, isn't that just how we are with the Lord?
Reading Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)
"I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection..."
We tend to want to stop there don't we? We all want that, to know him in that glory and power! But look what comes next.
...and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."
Um, but not like that! Sufferings... didn't he die on a cross!?
Squawk!
There is no knowledge of Christ apart from the cross.
His cross and ours, let's not be a "dumb bird".
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. " Matt 16:24-25(NIV)
