“A Bird in the Hand…”

 

DISCUSSION:                            

                We have all heard the saying “A bird in the hand, is worth two in a bush”?  It is an ancient English proverb that dates to 1670 and is found in John Ray’s “A Hand-book of Proverbs”.   It means the things we already have are more valuable than the things we only hope to get.  It is about risks, warning us against taking unnecessary risks.  Whereas it is better to keep what you have than to risk getting more and ending up with nothing.  I wonder what Adam and Eve would have to say about this proverb.  Their “bird in their hand” was the Paradise known as Eden; the “two in the bush” was more like a tree.  God had provided them with everything they ever needed and wanted, they would have never had to “want” for anything.  All they had to do was to remain focused on their paradise and not allow the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to distract them.  Why is it that whenever someone tells us one thing we cannot have, that “one thing” ends up being the only thing we want.  I think that was the case with Adam and Eve. They allowed the Serpent to distract them from the Paradise they were living in, only to focus on an idea.   Satan uses the same tools today that he used with the first couple, only he has improved on his techniques.  Just as God did with Adam and Eve, He has provided us with everything we need in this life through our relationship with Him.  However, Satan is trying to sell us on an idea that we can have better, feel better, or be better.  Maybe we would just be better off if we would just be content with what God has already given us, instead of risking it all for empty promises.   Maybe instead of a proverb we should say “The gift we have in Jesus, is worth more than anything the Devil can offer us”.

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