Don’t cross the line

I once had a dog named Buffy. In general I do not like to have dogs in the house, but an exception was made for Buffy. He was a beautiful blonde cocker spaniel and everyone in the family loved him. I did however draw the line when it came to the kitchen. I cannot tolerate having an animal of any kind in the kitchen; it gives me the willies to eat around a dog or cat. I have always had a knack for training dogs and Buffy was no exception. He was trained to stay out of the kitchen.

Every night the family would gather around the kitchen dining table and eat supper. Buffy would lie just outside of the kitchen watching our every move with his ears slightly raised and his little stub of a tail moving back and forth like a windshield wiper set to high. Invariably he would begin to inch his way ever so slowly towards the kitchen. He wanted in there with us so badly that he could hardly stand it. There was a distinct line between the carpet in the den and the tile in the kitchen, and Buffy knew that he was not to cross that line, not even an inch. He would however, eventually “test the waters” and stick his little moist black nose just over the line and as soon as he did every night without exception I would tell him in a gruff stern voice, “You better get back over that line!”, and he would move his head back inside the line and frown at me.

I was thinking about how similar Buffy is to me. There are certain things that I know in my heart that I should not do, but my flesh draws me toward them like a moth to a flame. I inch steadily towards them, (and sometimes boldly run towards them), and God sternly admonishes me, not with a voice from heaven booming down, but with a firm conscience telling me, “You better get back over that line!” I thank God for my conscience, because without it I would be in trouble constantly.

The trouble with many of us is that we know the difference between right and wrong just like Buffy, but we are born with a rebellious nature and we naturally want to sin. The Bible tells us to resist satan and his temptation and if we do and instead draw near to God, he will flee from us and we will be glad; if we do not, there will always be a consequence to our sin.

All of you who had hangovers over the weekend should listen to the Spirit. I felt GREAT all weekend and feel good today because I only drank iced tea, ice cold water, and a Coke or two over the holiday weekend. Even though I do not drink alcohol anymore, I admit to wanting an icy cold beer (or ten), over the holiday and especially after a hard day of fishing, but I knew better than to cross that line and am glad I resisted the temptation

James 4:7
Therefore submit to God. Resist
the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will
draw near to you. Cleanse your
hands, you sinners, and purify your
hearts, you double minded.