by Julie C. 2011
Our 4 1/2 month old border collie puppy could teach me some lessons on being passionate for my Master. Before I am completely conscious in the morning, my ears hear his little "it's time to get up" whimpers prompting me out of bed. As my feet hit the floor his exuberant greeting nearly knocks me over! All he wants is to be near me...touching me...loving on me....after all it's been all night since we last spent time together!!! He is so excited that we are once again together!! I open the door to let him out and he scurries to do his business and hurries back to the door...he just wants to be with me! This morning I fed him in the kitchen and then took my coffee to the den to find a quiet place to read. When he realized I was not in the kitchen he left his full dish of breakfast to find me. He stayed in the den with me, bringing his toy to my lap. His desire was to be where I was and to be as close to me as possible!
Our 4 1/2 month old border collie puppy could teach me some lessons on being passionate for my Master. Before I am completely conscious in the morning, my ears hear his little "it's time to get up" whimpers prompting me out of bed. As my feet hit the floor his exuberant greeting nearly knocks me over! All he wants is to be near me...touching me...loving on me....after all it's been all night since we last spent time together!!! He is so excited that we are once again together!! I open the door to let him out and he scurries to do his business and hurries back to the door...he just wants to be with me! This morning I fed him in the kitchen and then took my coffee to the den to find a quiet place to read. When he realized I was not in the kitchen he left his full dish of breakfast to find me. He stayed in the den with me, bringing his toy to my lap. His desire was to be where I was and to be as close to me as possible!
Recently our pastor preached on "are you an average Christian?" He shared the meaning of "average": the best of the worst and the worst of the best, the hottest of the cold and the coldest of the hot (could that be "lukewarm?"). He said if we are content with ourselves that is not normal and that is not good! Holiness is something God has given us and also something we must continually strive for.
Pastor encouraged us to be passionate for more of God. He said that God has already given us all of the Holy Spirit--the question is--how much of us does He have? The Christian life is one of continual growing in grace and knowledge. We must not settle for less than Christlikeness!
As we look forward to the new year ahead may we meditate on the words of my wise pastor. May we take the measures we need to change, to grow, to become all we can be for our Lord and Savior. Every waking moment we must pursue God and learn of His character with passion and determination. Sort of like an exuberant puppy pressing in for more relationship, more intimacy, more time with his Master. And by the way, that puppy's name just happens to be... "Loyal."
Prayer:
Father God, as the new year begins may I begin afresh to run after You. May my heart be turned to Your goodness and holiness every moment of every day. May my actions and my faith walk hand in hand as I strive to be holy as You are holy. Amen.
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Challenge:
Take the time to read the following Scripture references: I Peter 1:13-16, Hebrews 10:10,14 Hebrews 12:14, Acts 19:17-20, Rev. 3, Romans 13:14, Matt. 25:31-40. Allow the Lord to speak to your heart and show you areas that are not steeped in His holiness.
A good read - The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.
Prayer:
Father God, as the new year begins may I begin afresh to run after You. May my heart be turned to Your goodness and holiness every moment of every day. May my actions and my faith walk hand in hand as I strive to be holy as You are holy. Amen.
*
Challenge:
Take the time to read the following Scripture references: I Peter 1:13-16, Hebrews 10:10,14 Hebrews 12:14, Acts 19:17-20, Rev. 3, Romans 13:14, Matt. 25:31-40. Allow the Lord to speak to your heart and show you areas that are not steeped in His holiness.
A good read - The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.
2 comments:
It is a constant surprise to me, to see how the Lord speaks to us in normal, everyday things. That "Loyal" puppy is surely an example of how excited we should be to spend time with our Father.
Thanks, Julie, for sharing!
--Barbara
Jen, like I said, if I squished the spider, I would have had to get close to it and risk missing and what if it crawled on me? The cup I used to trap it was a deep one, so I was at least 6 inches away from the target. I used a stiff piece of cardboard to keep it in the cup, then threw the whole deal out the back door and retrieved the cup later....
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