Three Legged Chicken

Larry was driving down a country lane in his pickup when suddenly a chicken darted into the road in front of him. He slammed on his brakes, but realized that the chicken was speeding off down the road at about 30 miles an hour. Intrigued, he tried to follow the bird with his truck, but he couldn't catch up to the accelerating chicken. Seeing it turn into a small farm, Larry followed it. To his astonishment, he realized that the chicken had three legs. Looking around the small farm, he noticed that ALL of the chickens had three legs.

The farmer came out of his house, and Larry said, "Three-legged chickens? That's astonishing!"

The farmer replied, "Yep. I bred 'em that way because I love drumsticks."

Larry was curious. "How does a three-legged chicken taste?"

The farmer smiled. "Dunno. Haven't been able to catch one yet."

Now, that's funny! 

I laughed at this joke, then I thought, you know, how often do we as Christians become three legged chickens.
We come into our faith in Christ, then somewhere down the line, religion gets a hold of us, and that beautiful new
creation of God, that is just absolutely everything Christ intended, rather than developing and maturing in His trust alone in Christ we get bred into three legged chickens, thinking that religion will make us a littler more desirable, then what God has made of us in Christ. The world prefers us to be religious as well, like the farmer desiring more drumsticks, we let the world conform us to give them more of what they want.
Religion so spoils the work that Jesus did, we might look more desirable to the world, the church, our community, even some of our friends, as long as we keep that third leg on, of religion. The sad thing, is no one will taste the beauty of who we are in Christ.
It's so much easier to rest in Him and just live that way, ever trusting in Him, what He has accomplished that we never could nor ever will.

The sad thing, is religion breeds us into three legged chickens.
We might run faster with religion, and find it easier to get along with the world but in the end, do we really serve the purpose for which Christ made us.
We were made to be light and salt to a world lost in sin and death.

Paul said this when reproving the Galatian Christians for growing a third leg...the third leg of religion.

Galatians 3:2-3
 2This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

 3Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Let's slow down, throw off the third leg, and let's keep trusting Jesus, and not religion. God wants to catch up with us as well, He has great things in store for us, when we leave Him to do the job.

Dr. J.