Dear Saints,
November is here and it will be soon time to reach for a coat or at least a jacket before leaving your home. I pray that as the weather turns colder our hearts will turn warmer toward our God. I am thankful for another month on this side of eternity. It means I still have a chance to lead someone to Jesus and I still have another day to be more obedient to Him when I hear his voice.
Speaking of being obedient, the other day Hobbes, our American bulldog, was outside in our back yard and it was time for him to come in so I called for him to “Come inside” to which he blatantly ignored me. Something he smelled on the ground consumed his attention. I knew he could hear me and I also knew he understood what I wanted him to do. Nevertheless, he chose to continue to smell whatever it was that had him mesmerized. I repeated the command to come inside a few more times. He didn’t budge and he even dug his nose down harder to enjoy the great fragrance that he alone seem to be able to smell. As I watched him ignoring me, I thought of giving him a different command, a command I knew he would love to do. I asked him from inside the house would he like to go for a walk – to which when he heard the words “go for a walk Hobbes?” he immediately picked up his head, ran inside, and sat down looking up at me all the while his tail wagging in pure delight. As he sat waiting for me to put the lead around his neck, I had no choice but to now take him for a walk. For I was not going to lie to him. As I started to put my shoes on for the walk, I looked at him and thought to myself. I wish that you would obey me, I wish you would do what I ask because of your love for me and not just for what I can give you. As I thought this, the Holy Spirit immediately whispered to my heart the exact same words. Ouch! The whole time when I was seeing a dog that was stubborn and chose to be hard of hearing when he didn’t like what he heard, I was actually seeing a picture of me. I had to repent and ask God to help me seek him because I love him and not for the things he does for me. As someone put it: “Do we seek his hands or his face?” His hands for the requests we need, his face for just his presence. I choose to pray for time with him alone and not for anything else. How about you. Is he more important than anyone or anything else in your life? I hope so. Let’s listen for his voice and when we hear him let’s do whatever he asks of us. I’ll say Yes Lord to your will and to your way!