The Spanky Chicken

Spanky was a very cool chicken.

I'm not necessarily a fan of chickens as pets, but Spanky was an exception. Laid-back and friendly, she preferred socializing over egg-laying.

Our flock had thinned out one at a time until only fat, red-feathered Spanky was left in the coop.

We felt sorry for her and put her in the back yard. Our two dogs hardly knew what to think, but she made herself right at home. She ate out of their food dish, drank from their water bowl, and when they stretched out in the sun, Spanky squatted right next to them, soaking in her share of rays.

It didn't take long until Spanky the chicken thought she was a dog.

The scene in animal kingdom was funny, but it is not funny when it happens in the human realm. God knows our tendency to assimilate into whatever culture we find ourselves and that's why He sternly warned his people the Israelites not to take on the customs of the pagan nations around them. Every time he gave them victory over their enemies and more of the Promised Land, he also gave them instructions:

"...you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I will drive out before you...
I have abhorred them...
I am the LORD your God,
who has separated you from the peoples." (Lev. 20:23-24)

Some of those customs didn't seem all that bad by themselves: haircuts, fabric choices, etc. What was the big deal?

The big deal was that God knows how we are. Compromise always starts easy. It looks harmless. The more the Israelites tried to look, act, and sound like their pagan neighbors, the further they withdrew from God. It was only a generation or two until the entire nation was enslaved in idol worship and pagan rituals and God had to bring painful consequences on them again.

The modern church has so assimilated itself into our pagan culture that it is hard to tell the difference. We spend a great deal of time and energy defending our "right" to do whatever we please, never realizing we are only a generation or two away from complete degradation and its accompanying consequences.

What worldly customs have you grown comfortable with?
Do you look like a slightly-cleaner version of this world?
Or are you willing to keep yourself separate in word, deed, and thought as fitting for one bearing the name of Christ?

Wondering what became of Spanky?

We think she froze to death when winter came. With no warm coop or the feathers of other hens, she couldn't survive. And apparently, eating dog food isn't the best thing for a chicken either. She assimilated all right, but it was to her detriment.

Get the connection?

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