Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"No Line for Jesus"
July 13, 2018
Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
~ Philippians 2:5b-8 (ESV)
"Boo Boo brought back to life."
That was the line in the Sunday paper, which attracted my attention. That's not surprising. Any minister who believes that only the Lord has the power to reanimate a dead body is curious when he hears of a person being brought back to life.
We're interested when we hear about someone, who, having fallen through the ice is revived, even though when they entered the hospital there was no evidence of a pulse or any observable respiration. We want to know more when we hear about an individual whose heart has given out on an operating table and was subsequently shocked back to life.
Now you know why I read Boo Boo's story. The article told of how a retired Arkadelphia, Arkansas, nurse had made a normal family visit at her brother's home. But Marian Morris -- that was the retired nurse's name -- did not find things normal. Observing unusual activity at the small pond behind the house, Morris went down to investigate. There, at the foot of some agonizing relatives, she saw the dead, the drowned, body of Boo Boo. No one had seen exactly what had happened. Just a few moments of inattention and the result was this.
Although it had been years since Morris had practiced CPR, she decided to do what she could.
Reacting, almost by instinct, she dropped to her knees, tilted Boo Boo's head back, and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Those who were there, share the story of Morris' heroics. She didn't give up, and her efforts paid off. Boo Boo's eyes fluttered, and then opened. As the newspapers told the story, Boo Boo had been brought back to life.
A wonderful human interest story?
Not exactly.
You see, Boo Boo is a chicken. True, Boo Boo is a special chicken, an exotic chicken, a precious pet, but Boo Boo is still a chicken. I have to confess, as a city boy, when I see a dead chicken, I think, Shake 'n Bake ®, not artificial resuscitation.
I know, I know, there are probably ten thousand Daily Devotioners who once considered a chicken to be their closest friend. Please don't write and call me an "animal hater." Don't picket my house with placards reading, "Chickens Are People, Too." I don't hate animals, but I do draw the line with performing mouth-to-beak resuscitation on a chicken. That line, extends to reviving goldfish, turtles, and pet snakes.
At any rate, I draw that line because the distance between us is too great.
Thankfully, the Savior did not draw a line when it came to saving humanity. He didn't say, "Sure I'll save everybody except for murderers, or rapists, or gossips, or jaywalkers. Jesus came and died to save everyone. As Scripture says, "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
And let's get it straight: the humbling Jesus did to save us is far greater than the humbling you and I would have to do to breathe life into a chicken.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, how can I show my gratitude for a love such as that shown by the Savior? How can I express my appreciation to You for wanting to save me? Send Your Holy Spirit, so Jesus' humility might touch others who do not know Him as Savior. In His Name, I pray. Amen.
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Boo Boo brought back to life.
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