For a while, I dreamed about owning and running a dog training school, where we have dog-themed devotionals before each class. So I started stock-piling lessons that I have learned about being a Christian by observing my dogs. This is one of those lessons.
One night, my two dogs, Dixie and Mystery, were going through their regular bedtime routine. They had just been outside and were on the way to their kennels, where they sleep.
Now, when given a command, Dixie is usually the first one of the two to obey it. When I call them in from the yard, Dixie comes running in the back door. But when she reaches it, she turns around and looks to see that Mystery is coming too. Then, as I keep calling Mystery in, Dixie runs back out and, being a shepherd, starts to chew on Mystery's ears and ankles while they run inside together. But she often throws Mystery off course before they reach me.
On this particular night, my dad had told the dogs to go to bed, and Dixie rushed up the stairs, but waited at the top. She then proceeded to follow Mystery into the room, chewing on her ears the whole time. This made it so that Mystery made it into her kennel first. I turned to my mom and remarked that even though Mystery is usually slower at responding to commands, she is usually the first one to actually obey.
Then I had the thought that that remark probably had some spiritual parallel/application. So I thought some more about it, and realized what it was.
As Christians, we are usually fast to grow in one area of the faith or another. But sometimes when we're growing, we hinder our own growth and someone else's by judging them and trying to fix what we think they should improve on. That is kind of like when Dixie obeys me really quickly, but then turns back and starts shoving Mystery off course while trying to shepherd her towards me.
Jesus talked about this problem, too. In Matthew 7:3-5 and in Luke 6:41-42, He rebukes people for trying to get a speck of dust out of their brothers' eyes, while all the time they had planks in their own. His point was, don't try to fix the sins that you perceive in your fellow Christians until you have repented for your own.
Therefore, when we feel like giving advice to our brothers and sisters about how they can get further along the path they're on, especially if that advice wasn't asked for, we need to pray and ask God if that is his plan, or if we would just be hindering our fellow's progress like Dixie does.
One night, my two dogs, Dixie and Mystery, were going through their regular bedtime routine. They had just been outside and were on the way to their kennels, where they sleep.
Now, when given a command, Dixie is usually the first one of the two to obey it. When I call them in from the yard, Dixie comes running in the back door. But when she reaches it, she turns around and looks to see that Mystery is coming too. Then, as I keep calling Mystery in, Dixie runs back out and, being a shepherd, starts to chew on Mystery's ears and ankles while they run inside together. But she often throws Mystery off course before they reach me.
On this particular night, my dad had told the dogs to go to bed, and Dixie rushed up the stairs, but waited at the top. She then proceeded to follow Mystery into the room, chewing on her ears the whole time. This made it so that Mystery made it into her kennel first. I turned to my mom and remarked that even though Mystery is usually slower at responding to commands, she is usually the first one to actually obey.
Then I had the thought that that remark probably had some spiritual parallel/application. So I thought some more about it, and realized what it was.
As Christians, we are usually fast to grow in one area of the faith or another. But sometimes when we're growing, we hinder our own growth and someone else's by judging them and trying to fix what we think they should improve on. That is kind of like when Dixie obeys me really quickly, but then turns back and starts shoving Mystery off course while trying to shepherd her towards me.
Jesus talked about this problem, too. In Matthew 7:3-5 and in Luke 6:41-42, He rebukes people for trying to get a speck of dust out of their brothers' eyes, while all the time they had planks in their own. His point was, don't try to fix the sins that you perceive in your fellow Christians until you have repented for your own.
Therefore, when we feel like giving advice to our brothers and sisters about how they can get further along the path they're on, especially if that advice wasn't asked for, we need to pray and ask God if that is his plan, or if we would just be hindering our fellow's progress like Dixie does.
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