See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? Hebrews 12:25 (NIV)
Our vet’s office has a sign with a drawing of a dog that says, “My name is Nonobaddog, what’s yours?” Our Lucy could have written that. Lately, all we say is “Lucy, no, no.” She is cutting her adult teeth so everything goes into her mouth. She has plenty of toys, but prefers our shoes, the furniture, clothes or towels. My dress pair of black shoes has no insides any more, one of my sweatshirts has a hole in the sleeve, and some of the tassels on our rug are missing. She has a special attraction to the couch and if left alone would carve great hunks into the cushions. She also has not gotten the hang of going outside to go the bathroom yet. She will go outdoors and play and play, and then come in the house to do her business on the wood floor right in front of the sliding glass door. She can see the grass, does that count? Being outside to play is her idea of heaven. She runs and runs, picks up sticks, chases imaginary items. Of course, the yard also provides cat food and horse manure, her two favorite foods. The biggest problem we have is that she will not listen to us. When we can see that she is getting into trouble, we give her a warning, but she heads right into whatever it is she is focused upon. She will turn and look at us, then, act as though we are not talking to her. Off she goes her own way. The other day, despite being called back, she wallowed in a fire ant bed and her belly and head are now covered in bites. She was miserable, but that did not prevent her from almost getting into the same situation a few days later. By that time, we knew enough to follow her around, picking her up when she did not listen to our warnings so saving her from future torment. It is often easier to carry her or hold her than to chase her around and protect her. We can do that now while she weighs fifteen pounds, but by the time she is ninety pounds, she will have to know how to obey. It can be a dangerous world for a dog: threats from cars, insects, horses or snakes. If she does not learn to follow our warnings, she could get seriously hurt. We are the same way. God sends warnings to us through His Word, the Holy Spirit and other believers. If we refuse to listen, we can get in terrible trouble as well. God allows us the freedom to make choices about our lives. He doesn’t carry us around and dictate which way we go. But, closing our ears to God’s voice can bring us harm. If we hear Him calling, pay attention to His voice. Stop and turn around. Go home to the arms of your Master. That is the safest place to be.
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