A religious man kept a parrot in his home, and he was fun of it. One day, while the man was some distance from the parrot, a cat suddenly came and pounced on the parrot killing it right there. Though the man saw the act, he couldn’t save his parrot. Seeing this, he started crying profusely which attracted his neighbours’ attention.
They asked why he was crying so much, and he narrated everything to them. One of them said to him “Don’t worry. You can buy another parrot so try to calm down. The man stopped crying a little and said, “I am not crying because my parrot is no more.” At this, the neighbours were confused and asked, “Then why are you crying?”
The man replied, “Actually, I taught my parrot to sing hymns, recite bible verses and even say in the name of Jesus. But today, when the cat pounced on him, my parrot forgot everything I taught him and started crying and died. Now I am worried when death pounces on me one day, I don’t know whether God’s name will be found on my lips, or I will cry for extended life or my children or my spouse. Will I cry in panic or be able to sing one of those hymns at Church?
Many of us claim we are religious. So, may I ask you a question. Is your religion superficial or supernatural? There is a portion of St. James’ epistle that makes me shudder each time I read it. He poses a rhetorical situation, “If any man among you seems to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (James 1:26). Look at it again: “If any man among you seem to be religious.”
Many people sadly only have a form of godliness. They have a name that they live, but they are dead. And their religion is only an illusion. Parrot Christians! It’s only something that seems to be, but there is no reality to it, and there’s nothing worse— mark it down—there’s nothing worse than religion without reality, like a parrot that does not know what it says. Oh, religion ought to be real to you or else you too are a parrot. It ought to be vibrant to you. You ought to have a know-so faith, not a hope-so or a maybe-so faith. You ought to have a know-so salvation.
Too many Christians are like question marks when they ought to be exclamation marks. Too many Christians are doubting Christians when they ought to be claiming Christians. Too many Christians are only seeming Christians when they ought to be sincere Christians. Too many Christians cannot say, “…I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).
Someone asked an evangelist, “Sir, what is the secret of your evangelistic success? Give me a resume of your career.” And, these are his words, “My name is Dwight L. Moody. I was born the first time in 1837. I was born the second time in 1856. My body is soon to die, but my spirit born two times is immortal.” That’s all he said. Oh, how real his second birth was to him. Therefore, what is your life’s resume? Is it a parrot recital!
May your week not be weak but with Him. I send you my prayerful wishes for the week. (By Fr. Ray®acc.GH)
