Barn

"Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
but much revenue comes by the strength of an ox"
Proverbs 14:4

it's nice to have a clean barn.
it looks nice; it smells...uhm...er...better;
you don't mind haven't people come over to it.
they'll think you are on top of things
and that you really know how to keep order in your barn.
you can be proud of it.
no one will think poorly of you...because your barn is clean.

but what good is it?
no good, really.
it just looks good.

a working barn doesn't look or smell good. there may be some clutter...there may be some dirt or hay...there may be some...uhm...well...crap.

barns shouldn't be pretty...they are for work.

so it is with our lives. many times we "pose"...we act like everything is fine in our lives...we make the manger nice and neat...get rid of those oxen...neaten the place up a bit...

and we keep God on the outside.

we look good...our mangers are clean...

but we are not doing the job that needs to be done.
and we are not doing the job that God wants to do in us.