“[T]he Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20:28
A pastor was on his way to church to deliver a sermon one Easter morning. He passed a boy with a sinister look, carrying a bird cage. Rattling around inside were three sparrows, or field birds. The pastor asked the boy, “What do you plan on doing with the birds, son?”
The boy replied, “Mister, I’m gonna have some fun with these birds. I’m gonna tie them up and see if they can fly. Then I’m going to pull their feathers out to watch ‘em squirm, and I’m gonna see how long they can go without food.” The pastor asked, “Then what are you gonna do?” The boy said, “Well, I have a cat, and I’m gonna feed ‘em to it.”
The pastor asked, “Son, how much for those birds?” The boy responded, “Sir, you don’t want these birds, they are field birds. I got them right over there in that tree; they’re worthless.” The pastor asked again, “How much for those birds?” The boy thought he was kidding, and told him $500. The pastor’s response: “Done. Deal. I’ll take em.”
Isn’t that crazy? Well, in the same way the pastor paid an incredible amount for the birds, Jesus paid an incredible amount for us — He paid with His life. He was willing to be tortured, beaten and scorned, nailed to a cross until He died, because He loved us. He wanted us, and was willing to give everything so that we can be in Paradise with Him for eternity.
That’s the God we serve, one who will do anything for us. In Matthew 6:26, Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Above all else, God loves and cares for you at all times.
— Nik Pry
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