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Listen while you read: "I Am Trusting Thee Lord Jesus"1
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Psalm 119:67 – I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word. (NLT)
One was large and the other small, but they both needed to be on a leash.
I once owned an Eskimo Spitz. My family owned a much larger dog that I inherited when they moved away. Since I lived in the country, I didn't have to abide by leash laws, so both dogs scampered through the woods and open fields, played in the swamps, and chased wild animals.
Then, it happened. They took up with a pack of wild dogs. Initially, they returned home every night, but soon, they came home only periodically. I decided to leash my Eskimo Spitz the next time when he showed up. Unfortunately, I never caught the larger dog, and he soon became wild like the ones that he followed. One dog came with me when I moved away, but the other continued running wildly.
I'm not much different than my two dogs were. I tend to wander. While there's nothing inherently wrong with a little innocent wandering, the wandering that I've done wasn't innocent and wasn't in God's plan. Sometimes, the wandering didn't start sinfully, but quickly became that. I knew Who provided for me, just as my dogs knew, yet I wandered anyway.
For my Eskimo Spitz, the discipline came with a leash — the only way to keep him at the house and away from unsuitable company. Had I unleashed him, he would have run again. Wandering was in his nature.
God deals with our wandering natures through the leash of discipline. The forms that He uses vary, but He designed each one perfectly to accomplish His purpose of keeping us home and away from unsuitable company — whether people or things. Closely following the teachings of His Word will go a long way in keeping us focused on spiritual rather than fleshly escapades.
The leash that I used was literal. God's leash comes in other forms, but He designs it to accomplish the same purpose.
Thank God that He loves us enough to discipline us when we stray. Then, we need to stay close to His Word so that our tendency to wander will be tamed.
Prayer: Father, we ask You to leash our sinful wanderings and keep us on the path of godliness. Amen.
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About the author:
Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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Good example, thank you!
Very true Martin.
Blessings.
Prayer is the answer “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
Praise God for His love and faithfulness to us! Enjoy your weekend.
Humble Confession, good medicine for the soul Bro. Thank you for sharing,
Martin. Blessings.
Thank you for this thoughtful devotion, Martin. I am a beagle owner, so I very much understand the need for a leash and a fenced in backyard.
God’s blessings be upon you.
Thanks, Martin, for another of your really mindful devotionals. We truly need be thankful that the Lord reigns us in at times and makes us focus on our wrongful ways and gets us back on the right direction. Blessings for your special writings.
Thank you, Martin, for sharing this encouraging devotional with us today.
These days, my wee Yorkie mix must always be leashed when she goes outside. If she weren’t, she’d wander off and maybe get hit by a car, attacked by larger dogs, or even shot as a nuisance animal. For her protection she must be leashed, but inside our house, she has freedom to go where she pleases…except when a gate is in place, which only occurs when she’s left behind on hot days. We do love our pets, don’t we.
Blessings.
Very good rendering of his Word. I love your devotions.
Thank you, Martin. May we ever stay close to Him.
Good morning Martin,
Thanks for the word of life. God bless you.
(Kenya)