Issue 968 – Ducks in a Row – January 27, 2023
We could hear the contented chuckle of the mallard ducks long before we could see them. It is a sound that usually makes me smile.
The ducks came into sight as we rounded the corner. There were five mallards, one hen and then four drakes. It seems that everywhere we have been this year, the males outnumber the females. Usually, the mix seems to be about 60% male and 40% female.
The little flock came towards us with no fear of people and was seemingly used to being fed. They never entirely managed to form a line, so my ducks definitely were not in a row.
There are several theories about the origin of the idiom of having your ducks in a row, meaning to be well prepared or organized. The most popular seems to link them to early in the days of bowling in England. The pins were shorted and rounder than modern pins and were often called ducks. To have your ducks in a row meant that the pins had been set up for the next bowler.
There are many word plays on that particular idiom, most dealing with not having their ducks aligned. “Ducks? I don’t have ducks. I have squirrels.” “I can’t even find my ducks,” and so on.
There are many times in life we are not prepared or organized for. Many people mistakenly believe they must clean up their lives and have their ducks aligned before coming to Christ.
That is something that will never happen. If we could get our lives together and forgive our own sin, we wouldn’t need a saviour. All of us are a mess.
There is a very convicting verse in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Roman 3:23
The picture becomes bleak when we look at that verse in conjunction with something that Paul writes in Romans.
For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23a
Fortunately, the truth is there is hope for those whose ducks are not correctly aligned.
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:20-23
Jesus loves enough to die for us when not only were our ducks not aligned, but we also couldn’t ever align them. He accepts us where we are when we come to Him, and He loves us too much to let us stay there.
Rejoice in the love, grace and mercy of Jesus the Christ. He is our only hope in this world and beyond.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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