Dear Christian, The Chicken Isn’t Outside!

My cat is 15 years old (76 in human years), and unlike the majority of people in my family (we are mostly vegan), he eats meat.

In fact, his most favorite meat is chicken.

“Meow!” my cat, Blacko (pronounced BLOCK-OH), intensely sniffed the air.

Could that be the smell of the glorious aroma of Costco rotisserie chicken?

“Dude,” I said as I watched my poor old cat walk dreamily toward the front door. “Your chicken isn’t outside!”

“Meow!” Blacko then walked toward the couch.

“Blacko, come on!” I said. “It’s here in the kitchen!”

But my dear old cat kept wandering around the living room.

Ever smelling the chicken.

But never coming close to where it actually was.*

Nose Knowledge

As I thought over my cat’s silly actions when he was trying to find the chicken, I couldn’t help but sense that we as Christians have a similar experience.

In 2 Timothy 3:7, Paul warns Timothy about people in the last days who go through this very experience in their professed Christian lives:

“always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

(2 timothy 3:7)

Like my cat, we as Christians can wander around the house of life, smelling truth.

So, we go to this church, or listen to this sermon, or read that book, or watch that YouTube channel–thinking and hoping we’ll find that “chicken.”

However, Jesus is standing in the kitchen, gently calling us to receive the truth straight from the kitchen table of daily communion with Himself!

But, are we heeding the call?

Are we tasting and seeing the goodness of God’s chicken of truth (Psalm 34:8)?

Or, are we–like my cat–sadly walking to doors and couches, only smelling the truth, but not coming close to where it’s really found?

Understanding The Call

As I was thinking over this whole lesson, I realized something.

Maybe the only reason why we’re not really heeding Jesus’ call to come to the kitchen is NOT because we can’t hear.

But rather, we don’t UNDERSTAND He is calling each of us INDIVIDUALLY.

Yes, we hear Him calling us.

But we may think it’s a GROUP call to come to the kitchen rather than an INDIVIDUAL call to come.

It’s kinda like what it says in Isaiah 6:

And He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

(Isaiah 6:9)

Do we understand that when Jesus calls us to taste His chicken of truth, He is really calling us on a personal, individual level?

Finding Understanding

Okay, so it’s obvious that in order for us to truly hear Jesus’ call to us to enter a personal relationship with Him, we need UNDERSTANDING to truly sense Him calling us on an individual level.

But, where can we find that understanding?

Ephesians 1:17-18 gives us the answer:

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints

(Ephesians 1:17-18, emphasis added)

What does Paul mean by “the spirit of wisdom and revelation”?

Well, in the NIRV Bible, it helps us to clearly see that it’s the Holy Spirit!

I pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the glorious Father. I keep asking him to give you the wisdom and understanding that come from the Holy Spirit. I want you to know God better.

(Ephesians 1:17 NIRV, emphasis added)

So, we need the Holy Spirit to give us ears to hear, understand, and obey Jesus calling on us to taste the chicken of His truth.

To stop smelling truth and to start tasting it for ourselves!

A Prayer For Understanding

Do you desire to truly hear and understand Jesus calling you to Him? Do you want the Holy Spirit to open the ears of your heart to understand Jesus’ gentle voice calling you to PERSONALLY taste His truth for yourself?

If so, I wish to appeal to you to simply pray:

Amen! Maranatha!

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*For those of you who are wondering if my cat ever figured out where the chicken was: Yes, my cat finally came to the kitchen for his chicken shortly after he wandered toward the couch ?.