Going to the Dogs!
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
We all face difficulties in life. Sometimes our troubles are as simple as a momentary annoyance, like someone cutting us off in the grocery store line. Sometimes it is much more serious, like a tragedy, illness or debilitating injury. How we deal with it is the real test. [See New Year - New Resolutions - New Perspective Tuesday, January 10, 2006]
A friend is fond of this Cherie Scott-Carter quote, “Lessons are repeated until they are learned.”
Sometimes life’s lessons come from the most common sources.
Here we turn to a dog’s wisdom for understanding. Dogs ‘understand’ a very basic principle of a ‘Christ-like’ attitude. Lack of this attitude constantly causes us to stumble and sin. We can learn this attitude and in turn help others. Dogs, like many things can teach us Godly wisdom. [1] [2]
Consider dogs. Dogs have the right attitude. When a dog is out in the yard and a thunderstorm hits, what does the dog do? Simply, the dog seeks its master and stays close by as the rain falls and the thunder rocks. The dog understands it can be dry in the house and comforted by its master.
Our lack of a ‘dog’s’ attitude gets us into trouble. What do we do when the thunderstorms of adversity hit our lives? We stand out in the rain and thunder complaining to God. We question God. “Why me Lord?” “What did I do to deserve this?” “Why are you punishing me?” On our worst days, we may even curse and hate God. The fact is, this is wrong and it is sin. Additionally, we already know why.
Job was the original “Master of Disaster”. (If one is unfamiliar with Job’s story - he is a ‘Man of God’ that faces tremendous adversity - simply because he is called by God “a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.” [Read Job's Story*]) In the story of Job, Job asks God why. God answers him first through Elihu in Job 33:12-13, “Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man. Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.” Simple - who are we to ask God for an accounting of His actions? Notice that Elihu tells Job that he is “not righteous” in asking God “Why”. (He is sinning by asking.) God, Himself answers Job in chapters 38 - 41. God asks Job who he is to question God. Point blank - again who are we to question God about His actions?
However, God, in His own Wisdom, has seen fit to answer that question. Two pertinent passages tell us specifically why we face difficulties in life. From these passages, we can learn what the right attitude is and how to help others. Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” The first reason why we face difficulties in life is that we have the opportunity to learn to be more Christ-like. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Therefore, the second reason that we face difficulties is so that we can be comforted by God. After facing the difficulties, we can share them and comfort others.
Notice what is says, “who comforts us in all our tribulation”. Each of us at one time or another has refused comfort from a friend. We want to be mad or hurt, so we ‘shrug off’ the well-meaning comfort of family or friends. How bad is it when we ‘shrug-off’ the comfort of God? How much worse is it when we ‘rail’ or curse against God?
We need to learn from dogs. When the thunderstorms of life strike, we need to forget about questioning or complaining. What we need to do is simple - seek the comfort of our ‘Master’. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” [3]
God's promise is to comfort us and to conform us to the image of His Son. Allowing Him to keep His promise is the lesson we can learn from dogs.
[1] Thanks to my brother, a retired US Army Chaplain, for being the first to challenge me to “learn from the dogs”.
[2] Psalm 19 (crf Romans 1:18-21) tells us the ‘world’ proclaims the attributes of God. While we can learn from these, ‘the source book’ is still the Bible. [See Messianic Mixed Messages Thursday, February 02, 2006]
[3] The verse in Matthew (6:26) is in the “Worry Passage” Matthew 6:25-33* (crf. Luke 12:22-34*). It is Jesus’ sermon about worry and things we have no control over.
*Links are to the "Blue Letter Bible" (King James Version) an online Bible with excellent resources, commentaries and study tools.
We all face difficulties in life. Sometimes our troubles are as simple as a momentary annoyance, like someone cutting us off in the grocery store line. Sometimes it is much more serious, like a tragedy, illness or debilitating injury. How we deal with it is the real test. [See New Year - New Resolutions - New Perspective Tuesday, January 10, 2006]
A friend is fond of this Cherie Scott-Carter quote, “Lessons are repeated until they are learned.”
Sometimes life’s lessons come from the most common sources.
Here we turn to a dog’s wisdom for understanding. Dogs ‘understand’ a very basic principle of a ‘Christ-like’ attitude. Lack of this attitude constantly causes us to stumble and sin. We can learn this attitude and in turn help others. Dogs, like many things can teach us Godly wisdom. [1] [2]
Consider dogs. Dogs have the right attitude. When a dog is out in the yard and a thunderstorm hits, what does the dog do? Simply, the dog seeks its master and stays close by as the rain falls and the thunder rocks. The dog understands it can be dry in the house and comforted by its master.
Our lack of a ‘dog’s’ attitude gets us into trouble. What do we do when the thunderstorms of adversity hit our lives? We stand out in the rain and thunder complaining to God. We question God. “Why me Lord?” “What did I do to deserve this?” “Why are you punishing me?” On our worst days, we may even curse and hate God. The fact is, this is wrong and it is sin. Additionally, we already know why.
Job was the original “Master of Disaster”. (If one is unfamiliar with Job’s story - he is a ‘Man of God’ that faces tremendous adversity - simply because he is called by God “a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.” [Read Job's Story*]) In the story of Job, Job asks God why. God answers him first through Elihu in Job 33:12-13, “Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man. Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.” Simple - who are we to ask God for an accounting of His actions? Notice that Elihu tells Job that he is “not righteous” in asking God “Why”. (He is sinning by asking.) God, Himself answers Job in chapters 38 - 41. God asks Job who he is to question God. Point blank - again who are we to question God about His actions?
However, God, in His own Wisdom, has seen fit to answer that question. Two pertinent passages tell us specifically why we face difficulties in life. From these passages, we can learn what the right attitude is and how to help others. Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” The first reason why we face difficulties in life is that we have the opportunity to learn to be more Christ-like. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Therefore, the second reason that we face difficulties is so that we can be comforted by God. After facing the difficulties, we can share them and comfort others.
Notice what is says, “who comforts us in all our tribulation”. Each of us at one time or another has refused comfort from a friend. We want to be mad or hurt, so we ‘shrug off’ the well-meaning comfort of family or friends. How bad is it when we ‘shrug-off’ the comfort of God? How much worse is it when we ‘rail’ or curse against God?
We need to learn from dogs. When the thunderstorms of life strike, we need to forget about questioning or complaining. What we need to do is simple - seek the comfort of our ‘Master’. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” [3]
God's promise is to comfort us and to conform us to the image of His Son. Allowing Him to keep His promise is the lesson we can learn from dogs.
[1] Thanks to my brother, a retired US Army Chaplain, for being the first to challenge me to “learn from the dogs”.
[2] Psalm 19 (crf Romans 1:18-21) tells us the ‘world’ proclaims the attributes of God. While we can learn from these, ‘the source book’ is still the Bible. [See Messianic Mixed Messages Thursday, February 02, 2006]
[3] The verse in Matthew (6:26) is in the “Worry Passage” Matthew 6:25-33* (crf. Luke 12:22-34*). It is Jesus’ sermon about worry and things we have no control over.
*Links are to the "Blue Letter Bible" (King James Version) an online Bible with excellent resources, commentaries and study tools.
posted by Unchained Slave at 9:37 AM
2 Comments:
excellent stuff. Trouble has but one reason ... to cause us to call out to the Lord.
I used to wonder about the Israelites in the wilderness, constantly questioning God:
"But just a month ago, He was pouring out all those plagues on Egypt! Just two weeks ago He parted the Red Sea! Just last week He brought forth water from the rock! Just that morning, they had gathered their portion of manna! Just 10 minutes ago they looked up at the column of cloud over the tabernacle! How could they possibly dounbt Him?"
But then the Lord gently reminded me. "Remember earlier this morning when you were upset about something? Remember two days ago when I blessed you in a particular way? And Sunday, when I blessed you in another way? etc. "
I learned some lessons on that day. God is always with us, but we are not always thankful, or else we soon forget. So part of the role of praise is to rehearse His goodness and extol Him, but also to keep our hearts thankful before Him. And thus, however glad we are for His provision, in the end it is all about our relaitonship with Him.
Thanks for this post, and for the reminder.
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