Be Like Dogs, Not Snakes

1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV)

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

When we hear the word “snake,” most of us recoil with fear. Granted, there are some people in the world who are genuine snake lovers, but for most of us, we simply don’t like snakes, and for good reason. Snakes are sneaky and many of them are dangerous. We don’t trust them. Truth be told, though, snakes probably don’t like us just as much as we don’t like them.

On the other hand, when we hear “dog,” most of us, unless we’ve had a bad encounter, get warm and fuzzy feelings inside. We like dogs. After all, most dogs are fun, kind, and gentle. But owners of dogs also know that they’re faithful animals.

We all want friends that are more like dogs than snakes. We want friends who can be trusted, who are faithful, and who are loyal. We don’t want friends who talk bad about us behind our backs, who let us down, and who are never there for us when we need them the most.

God wants us to be faithful people!

How Do we Do This?

Spend time reading about and reflecting on God’s faithfulness.

Ask yourself the following questions. How has God been faithful to me? What kinds of qualities does God have that I want in my own life in order to become more faithful?

Write out some practical ways that you can be more faithful.

Thank God for His faithfulness in your life and then ask Him to help you be more faithful.

As you reflect on the fruit of faithfulness, remember that God wants us to be like dogs, not snakes! He wants us to be people who are faithful.

Dear Lord, help us to be faithful. Help us to be more like Dogs and not snakes. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Is Jesus in the Driver's Seat?

Jeremiah 13:23 (New International Version)

Can an Ethiopian[a] change his skin

   or a leopard its spots?

Neither can you do good

   who are accustomed to doing evil.

There once was a snake. He was making a trek to the holy land when he came across an insurmountable problem: He couldn't cross the river that lie between him and his destination!

Being a "born-again" snake, this problem really upset him, and he curled up on the bank of the river beside to cry his eyes out.

A few hours later, he was approached by a caring turtle: "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I am on my way to the holy land, but I can't find a way across this river," cried the reformed snake. Then suddenly, his eyes brightened as a great idea came to mind: "Hey! You're a turtle! You could carry me across the river on your back! Would you mind doing that for me?"

Now the turtle was no dummy. "You are a snake!" he replied. "You might bite me during our trek!"

"But I am no ordinary snake," the snake assured him. "I am a "born-again" snake. I wouldn't DREAM of hurting you in any way!"

"Promise?" asked the slow-moving turtle.

"Promise!" answered the sneaky snake.

All went well at first. The ride was a bit wobbly, but the snake hung onto the back of the compassionate turtle. He was getting greener by the minute though, as river sickness overtook him. All of a sudden, out of the blue, he bit the turtle sharply in the neck, spreading his venom throughout the turtle's body.

"Why did you do that for?" asked the agonizing turtle. "Now we will both drown in these turbulent waters!"

"I couldn't help myself" answered the distressed "born-again" snake. "I guess once a snake, always a snake!"

Is it true that once you become "born-again", you are still pretty much human?

Absolutely!

Is it true that once you accept Jesus into your life, you will still sin?

Yes, but it does not have to be. Many accept Jesus as their Saviour but never acknowledge Him as the Master of their life. As long as we try to lead our own life, we will tend to sin more than we want to. Why? Because Jesus is not really real to us. We have never really given Him the driver's seat of our lives.

The decision as to how you wish to live is yours to make. Who will you let into your driver's seat? Who will be in control of your life?

Dear Lord we pray today that we would give you the driver’s seat. We want to flee from sin today, Help us to stand firm when the temptations come. In Jesus’ name, Amen.