First Church of God

(Pretzel, Caught in the act!)

We have a dog named Pretzel, who is always getting himself into some sort of trouble.  Well, just before Christmas he was up to his usual antics and this time he got caught!  You see, I had been wrapping some gifts one evening and had put all of the trash inside a large shopping bag.  Caleb had also eaten some chicken strips from DQ on the same night and put his trash in the same bag beside the table I had been wrapping at.  I took a short break and went upstairs to get a drink and the phone rang.  When I got off the phone I heard Caleb calling my name.  As I rounded the corner coming into the kitchen Caleb was standing there holding our dog (he is a jack russell terrier).  The closer I got I realized Pretzel had something around his neck.  It was the handle of the large shopping bag and a piece of the bag itself that he had gotten caught around his neck and ripped off in an effort to get free.  Now he was wearing it like a bib, or a sign that said very loudly, "I have been up to something I shouldn't have been up to".  When it finally registered what was around his neck I headed downstairs to our family room to check out the damage.  He had dumped the entire bag of wrapping paper, found his way to what was left of the chicken strips and even to the Bar-B-Que dipping sauce.  We all got a big laugh out of the fact that Pretzel not only did something wrong, but he was wearing the evidence around his neck. 

It reminded me of that scripture that we often quote out of Numbers 32:23b  "Be sure that your sin will find you out."   How many times have we done something that we knew was wrong and then when we got caught we were astonished as if we thought no one would ever know.  Granted we don't often wear our sins around our necks, but at times we are so engulfed by sin that we might as well be wearing a great big sign saying so.  We are eaten up by our sins, hoping that nobody will notice.  You know, most people are more perceptive than we give them credit for.  If you have surrounded yourself by godly people that you allow to hold you accountable then you better believe they can tell when something is off in your life.  And, I hope that you have people like that, who have permission to call you out when you need it. 

When Pretzel got into that bag, we did not just clean up the mess.  We also disciplined him, because he will never learn unless we teach him what is right and what is wrong.  (He is 10 years old so he should know better by now.  I am not sure if he is just unreachable, or whether he is just so lacking in the brains department that it is just a futile effort to even try to teach him any different.)  Anyway, my point is that we all need people in our lives that will hold our feet to the fire and not just go behind us cleaning up our messes. Sin is something that you cannot run from.  It is not something you should play around with.  God has called us to live a life that exemplifies Him if we are believers. 

In Proverbs 3:21-22 it says, "My son, preserve sound judgement and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck."  Ask yourself, what am I wearing around my neck?  Are my sins so heavy that people around me can see the slump in my shoulders from the weight of carrying them?  Or, are you wearing the ornaments of godliness around your neck as you make life decisions based on the word of God and His plan for your life? Whatever the case my prayer is that you would strive to listen to Him when He is speaking.  Let go of the things that cause you to stray, and turn your face, looking into the eyes of the one that has called you for a higher purpose.  Put off your sins, and take hold of your Savior!