by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Romans 7:18
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.

Living in obedience to the will of God makes supreme sense. His way isnt just the way to heaven; its the best way to live on earth as well.

Then why do we struggle with obedience to God? The apostle Paul says its because of our sinful naturethe flesh. When we insist on resisting the Spirit with the flesh, we get exactly what we want: our own way. Sometimes it is hard for us to learn how unpleasant this can be. While Paul was persisting in persecuting the followers of Christ, the Lord observed, You are only hurting yourself by fighting Me (Acts 26:14, NCV).

The prophet Isaiah described it like this: All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way (Isa. 53:6). In short, we have trouble obeying because we have a will that is contrary to Gods will. We resist Him and rebel against His commandments.

Sheep are not the only creatures that resemble mans selfish plight. Dogs do, too. I can see my response to God especially mirrored in the training of that special breed of bird dogs known as retrievers. They must all be trained to fetch and return to their masters.

Each special breed of retriever, however, responds to this training differently. The Chesapeake Bay retriever is one of the most strong-willed. Trainers must use a club to teach this hardheaded hound to obey the commands of his master. For the black Labrador, only the sting of a freshly cut switch is needed. And the golden retriever is the most sensitive of all, the trainer needing only his voice to train him. Evidently, his heart is tender to the tone of the masters voice.

Like those purebred retrievers, we respond to our Masters training in different ways. Perhaps all you need to correct a bad attitude or habit is to hear a whisper of displeasure in your Masters voice. Others may need the switch or even the club. I know which one of the three is least painful.

Prayer:

That your will, and that of every member of your family, will grow more and more sensitive to the Masters commands.

Discuss: Which retriever do you resemble the most? How has God had to use pain in your life to get you to listen to Him?

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