God uses everything that He has created to reveal Himself to us. He even uses dog walks to show us about Him and His love for us. This daily devotional looks at some of the things two dogs have taught me.
Nuggets
- When temptations come along, we need to hide in God.
- We need others to encourage us and to pray with and for us.
- We will always have a Friend by our side.
- We do want to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.
- God is always there, waiting to rescue us from whatever trouble we have gotten ourselves into.
- We just have to assess the situation, see the temptation for what it really is, and move back toward God.
- God wants us to pay attention to Him.
- We have to be watching for when we are called home.
I got to babysit my sister’s fur babies last summer. Then in March, I got to go down and help my brother-in-law when she was on a cruise. (Yes, you have been seeing some of her fantastic pictures from that trip.) I have also gotten to walk my Springfield Mom and Dad’s dog a couple of times over the past couple of months.
It was interesting walking Journey and Shorty. They have taught me a couple of things.
"I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people" (Lev. 26: 12 NLT)
Try to Avoid Temptations
Journey is really funny when a car comes along. He’ll pancake himself on the side of the road. He has his paws pretty well under him in this picture, but that isn’t always the case. At times, they can be sticking out in all directions. Either way, he hunkers down in the grass, trying to make himself invisible.
When temptations come along, we need to avoid them. But we can’t hide just anywhere. We need to hide in God. He is our fortress and our shield (Ps. 18: 2).
Run to Our Friends
Journey’s nickname is Houdini. He will slip out of his collar real fast. But he always goes to see his buddy Bear.
Before He died, Jesus set up a community of believers. He knew the early believers would have to support and uplift each other, especially when persecution came.
That notion is still relevant today. We need others to encourage us and to pray with and for us. We can handle the trials so much easier with a friend by our side.
Better Yet, Walk with a Friend
A couple of times, we got to walk with Journey’s friend, Lucy. In the past, we have also walked with Bobby.
We will always have a Friend by our side. Jesus told the disciples He would now call them friends (Jn. 15: 15). It is the same for us today.
Watch Where You Walk
I don’t know how many times I have asked Journey what I would ask Adam when he was younger: “Are you walking where you are walking or are you walking where I am walking?” He would get right in front of me and slow down.
We, in the other hand, do want to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. We want to walk as closely to Him as we can — walking slowly with Him, getting the refreshing restoration. Yep, those are good times.
Let Dad Get You Out of a Jam
I looked back once, and Journey was almost out of his harness. It was wrapped around his nose and one leg. There was only one direction he wanted it to go — off. In order to make sure that didn’t happen, we had to stop. It probably took Dad five, maybe ten, minutes to get him straightened out — it sure seemed like a long time.
How many times do we try to do things on our own? Yet, God is always there, waiting to rescue us from whatever trouble we have gotten ourselves into (Ps. 18: 16-19).
Sometimes, We Have to Sniff and Move On
Walking Shorty is totally different from walking Journey. Short Girl stops a lot more times to sniff than Journey does. But she always moves on pretty quickly.
We are going to be tempted. Hello! Satan wants to wreck our witnesses. He wants us back on his side of the ledger, not God’s.
So the tempting is going to happen. We just have to assess the situation, see the temptation for what it really is, and move back toward God.
Being tempted isn’t the sin. Giving into the temptation is. So we want to make sure we don’t stick around to get sucked into the temptation.
Being an Attention Hound Is Good
Mom always gets on Shorty when Adam and I go over there to take them supper. Especially if we sit on the floor, Shorty is right there wanting some loving.
God wants us to pay attention to Him, too. He doesn’t want us to just focus on what is happening in this world. God wants us to spend time with Him — in His Word, in prayer, praising Him, walking in His creation, singing His praises. He wants to spend time with us to strengthen our relationship with Him.
Know When It Is Time to Go Home
I’ve only walked Shorty a couple of times, the second time by myself. I was ready to walk right by the gate to her backyard the last time. She was going, “Oh, no. We’ve walked enough. It is time to go home.”
One day, our time on this earth will be through. Whether the angel comes to take us home in death or Jesus comes at the end of the age to call us all home, we have to be ready. We have to be watching. We don’t want to pass up the opportunities to turn our lives over to Him and serve Him.
I would say those two are smart little fur babies. Now, I just have to live what they taught me.
Father. You use everything that You have created to reveal Yourself to us. Help us to take our focus off ourselves and this world. Strengthen our relationships with You so that we focus solely on You. Amen.
What do you think?
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