Colossians 1:19-20
For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell;
And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by
Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him,
I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
I have one dog, Noel, my sweet 17 year old Miniature Poodle who only wears a leash when she is out of our yard because she typically stays right beside me. I have had other dogs I had to put a leash on just to keep on our property, even then, they tugged, just testing to see how far they could get.
I know these were around for a while, but Brittney had a retractable leash for her little dog and I thought that was the greatest thing! The puppy could stay close by or it had the freedom to roam. Well, I thought having such liberty, there would be no need for tugging anymore, wrong! Even with the ability to do what it pleased, found that some of my pets still wanted to go even further! UGH! The beauty of the retractable concept is that I can draw them back in before they go somewhere they shouldn’t. They can’t go anywhere so far that I can not pull them back to me.
This morning I remembered that I need to replace one of the leashes because when I tried to retract it, the mechanism did not work properly and I still had a dog half-way across the yard. I had to tug the leash to get her attention; thus a devotional was born.
Some Christians stay right with the Lord, walking closely with Him throughout their life; However, some of God’s children treat salvation as a lifeline to the Lord; they want the security without the commitment to live a godly life. The “leash” representing our free will, they pull as far away from the Lord as possible. They know He is there, in control, but constantly test the Father’s presence. Sometimes, they stray so far that they get into unfortunate situations before acknowledging or obeying the tug of the Lord, calling them back to Him.
Where are you, sitting at the Lord’s feet, waiting for His commands, obedient? Are you on the fringes, playing near a spiritual busy street, involved in enjoying your own will and ignoring His beckoning?
Keep in mind, yes, the Lord is in control, but that does not allow escape from consequences of our actions.
PRAYER
Father God
Thank You for being in control
We praise You for protection
Lord, we ask forgiveness for times we have strayed away from You
In pursuit of our own wants
You have given us free will, O God
Lord we pray for strength to surrender that to You
Scripture tells us that You give us the desires of our hearts, Mighty One
Please direct our desires to serve and please You
You are so precious, Lord
We are so blessed that through the blood of the Lamb
We are tethered to You through salvation
Thank You for being our Powerful Father
Thank You for Your Beautiful Son, obedient to death, even death on a cross
To pay the penalty for our sins
Thank You for the Holy Spirit
Convicting and lovingly calling us back to You
Through the Name of Jesus Christ we pray,
Amen
Song
“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
“The Anchor Holds” (NOT RAY BOLTZ/The story behind the song and it’s original artist)
“Draw Me Close to You”
CREDITS:
FATHER, SON, HOLY SPIRIT, SCRIPTURES
THE LORD FOR GIVING THE WORDS TO WRITE AND LIFE EXPERIENCES FROM WHICH TOPICS COME
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