On a Leash - Martin Wiles

I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word. Psalm119:67 NLT

One was large and the other small, but they both needed to be on a leash.

I once owned an Eskimo Spitz. My family owned a much larger dog I inherited when they moved away. Since I lived in the country, I didn’t have to abide by leash laws, so both dogs scampered through the woods and open fields, played in the swamps, and chased wild animals.

Then it happened. They took up with a pack of wild dogs. Initially, they returned home every night, but soon, they only came home periodically. I decided to leash my Eskimo Spitz the next time he showed up. Unfortunately, I never caught the larger dog, and he soon became wild like the ones he followed. One dog came with me when I moved away, but the other continued running wildly.

I’m not much different than my two dogs were. I tend to wander. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with a little innocent wandering, the wandering I’ve done wasn’t innocent and wasn’t in God’s plan. Sometimes, the wandering didn’t start sinful but quickly became that. I knew who provided for me just as my dogs knew, yet I wandered anyway.

For my Eskimo Spitz, the discipline came with a leash—the only way to keep him at the house and away from unsuitable company. Had I unleashed him, he would have run again. Wandering was in his nature.

God deals with our wandering natures through the leash of discipline. The forms He uses vary, but He designed each one perfectly to accomplish His purpose of keeping us home and away from unsuitable company—whether people or things. 

Closely following the teachings of His Word will go a long way in keeping us focused on spiritual rather than fleshly escapades.

The leash I used was literal. God’s comes in other forms, but he designs it to accomplish the same purpose.

Thank God that He loves you enough to discipline you when you stray. Then stay close to His Word so your tendency to wander will be tamed.

Prayer: Father, we ask You to leash our sinful wanderings and keep us on the path of godliness. 

Tweetable: Does God have you on a leash? 

 

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