Pecking Order

Do you understand the term, “pecking order”?  I do.  You see, my Papaw Epperly had 1500 chickens in West Virginia and I was all too familiar with the habits and shortcomings of chickens.  Chickens can be brutal.  They will intimidate and bully any other chicken that shows the least bit of weakness.  The strongest bully a lesser chicken, and that lesser chicken will bully another chicken weaker than they are.  And so on and so forth …  Hence the term “Pecking order”.  One must know one’s place in the order of life.  So, in life, you may be afraid of the second-grade bully, but the second-grade bully is afraid of the second-grade teacher.  And the second-grade teacher is afraid of the elementary principal.  But everyone mentioned above was afraid of my father.  Oh, my father was never abusive, but he always meant business.  I loved my dad, but I also feared my dad.  Hey, that is the way we should approach our heavenly Father: with fear, reverence, and love.  David said in Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”  Always remember that there may be people that you may fear, but ALL of us should fear God.  He is at the top of the “pecking order” and is to be respected and loved above all else.  Hey, do you love God?  I hope you do.  If you do, you will obey Him.