The Hunting Dog

1 Corinthians 10:31  (New International Version)

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

A man who had bought a new hunting dog was eager to see how he would perform. So he took him into the woods one day, hoping to track down and bag some really big game.

No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail of a bear. Off he went, with the excited hunter close behind. Then the animal stopped suddenly, sniffed the ground, and headed down an altogether different path. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the path of the bear.

A few minutes later, the process repeated itself. The dog stopped, smelled the ground, and headed in still another direction. This time it was the scent of a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. And the poor pooch was sidetracked again.

On and on it went, until the breathless hunter caught up with his dog - only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse.

We've seen this same formula destroy businesses. A company that loses sight of its true strengths, makes unwise-because-unrelated acquisitions, and discovers itself hopelessly diversified across too broad a range of products can fail quickly by virtue of losing its focus, marketing know-how, and client base.

Saddest of all, the same thing has destroyed believers who started out with high resolve to honor Christ in the marketplace, do noble things with their lives, and pursue lofty goals. Company growth, travel, money, flirtation, pride - a series of distractions came across the trail. Each one was pursued just far enough to pull the Christian a bit further off the trail of what is most important.

Dear Lord we pray that we would always honor you in the market place. Help us to always honor Your name in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.