Dirty Dog

This is a rerun of a devotional written in 2008...It was fun to reread this! .We had two yellow labs...and one of them (Khaki) is no longer with us. She was a sweet sweet dog who played a huge role in being Bentley's friend. She lived 16 years....but we still have our Bentley!


It occurred to me today as I was washing the dogs, who were covered with mud because they had been laying in the flower bed to keep cool...that if I wanted them to stay clean then I would have to provide a cool place for them to hang out. Because after a bath, if I let them return to the backyard, they would go straight back to their flowerbed dwelling, and we would be right back where they started...which is dirty again. It was an unchanging circle of events unless...I broke the circle. So I invited them to come in the house.

We all have got some dirty laundry...but in order for us to try to mainstain a fresh semblance of appearance, we not only have to take off the dirty stuff and put on a clean set of clothes...we need to shower off or the clothes are just a cover for the dirt that is really underneath. The clothes help, no doubt...but to really feel like you are clean...it matters how clean the body is in that we are putting those clothes on. One of Mel's favorite things and mine too is when the grandsons are over at night and they have just had their bath and they have on their clean pajamas on and their hair combed and a little touch of baby lotion on their necks. You just can't help but want to eat them up. They are just too much.

Well, can you imagine God feeling like that about us. Well, he does, and probably even more so. For God has taken us and cleansed us and make us fresh for his presence. We just have a tendency to get back in the dirt and have to go back to the source to get a rinse. It is an over and over occurrence because no matter how hard we try, we seem to stumble into unseen mudpits when we are not paying attention and have been distracted in our focus.

God has cleansed us of the tough stuff....the stain of sin ...the full body tattoo that signified that there was nothing we could do to avoid the penalty of death ...and he has given us the remarkable gift of eternal life through his son Jesus. But though the tattoo has been removed we still have a tendency to clamor around in behavior that is unfit for his kingdom. We recognize it sometimes, but sometimes we are oblivious to it because we are too busy recognizing the behavior in someone else. For it is easy to spot dirt on someone else. ...and a human tendency for us to try to camouflage the dirt on ourselves.

Hebrews 9:14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

To avoid hanging out in the flowerbed of dirt to stay "cool", we have to adjust our surroundings, and seek alternatives that would alter our behavior.
If you find yourself unhappy or discontent or restless and always searching for something to fill your comfort gap...you can search and search but you will never find contentment until you choose to accept the invitation to come inside the home of the Lord.

His door is open and his offerings are beyond our imagination. He will comfort you with his peace, guide you with his wisdom, strengthen you in spite of your weaknesses, and love you in a way that you have never been loved...absolutely unconditionally. He has washed away your stain of sin and if you watch him and listen for him you will gradually be transformed into the person that he has created you to be... doing what he has created you to do...You no longer will be looking for contentment...for your desires will gradually become God's desires...and you will be set free from the search for a place of comfort...you will have found your place of welcome and security.

God adores you and has a plan for you that will fill your needs all the way up to the top....but I must say that I have learned that my expectations most times do not line up with God's follow throughs. He has his way of accomplishing his plans that I would never have dreamed of...but they are always filled with his goodness through his perfection.

If you are looking for a spot of comfort...don't settle for a flowerbed of dirt...run with excitement to God's door that has been opened to you. Walk right in...and lay in the bed that God has prepared for you....and be content knowing that you are loved in a mighty way...and give him great joy as you abide in his kingdom.

Dear Lord, thank you for removing the stain of sin...it was a tattoo that could not be removed by anyone but you. Through your graciousness and love and mercy you have opened the doors of your kingdom and invited me to come in and be cleansed. Lord, help me to stay out of the dirt...but as I stumble in it, please continue to help me recognize its residue and come to you time and time again for a fresh new outlook. Amen

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!

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email address: cjodeit@gmail.com
The blog link below has all devotionals from the beginning of the year:

http://simplygod-cathy.blogspot.com/