The Parable of the Pig

Hear now the parable of the pig. When the pig first came into your life, he was a cute little pet.  All pink and cuddly. So much fun to play with. You would give him a bath, put perfume or after shave on him, and tie a cute little bow around his neck. All your friends would want to play with him too. Some even said, "I wish I had a pig of my own." Those who didn't like him? No problem. You could shut him in another room and you didn't even know he was around.

He went everywhere with you! If you went outside to play, he would follow you. If you were watching TV, he was on the floor right beside you. When you did your homework, he sat at your feet. He was so much fun to have around!

But one day a strange thing happened. He started to grow! But that was OK; pigs were supposed to grow. But the more he grew, the less you could do with him. He was too big to give him a bath and the cute little bow would no longer reach around his neck. He had become a hog.

Your friends stopped coming over because he was so rude and so smelly. You could no longer shut him out of your life. You missed school or work to stay home to take care of him. It cost more and more money to feed him and to correct all the problems he caused.

When you tried to walk with him, he would run into you and push you over, or walk in front of you and you would fall over him.

No one liked to be around you because even you smelled like your pig. That hog was in control of your life.

Sin is a lot like that pig. When you first let it into your life, it's fun. Something you can hide from your friends if you want to. You can control it whenever you want to. You can even dress it up and make it look rather good.

Then, little by little, it starts to grow. It takes more of your time and money. Your friends don't come over because you don't have the time for them anymore. You spend more and more time and money on that sin. You can't control it. You miss school because of it and get in trouble when you are there.

That sin controls you life just like that pig!

It is better not to let that sin into your life in the first place!

Why not let Jesus take control of our life! He'll never make you ashamed of Him, and you won't want to hide Him. Your friends will want Him too, and you can share Him with them. He'll hold you up, not knock you down. And He'll always be right by your side. In fact the Bible says that He is IN us who accept Him as our Lord.

Who do you want to control your life, Jesus or a pig?

Copyright Ó 1998 Larry Platt - Used by permission.  Based on a sermon illustration by D. DeWelt.

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Page updated 05/19/01.