Of course the winter does have it's drawbacks. Like my wife for example. Wait. That didn't sound quite like it should have. Let me explain. You see, my wife gets cold in the winter. She likes to sit and read books. That's fine. I like to read too. But her reading in winter causes her hands to get really cold. I mean REALLY cold!!
When my wife gets cold she does two things she doesn't normally do during the summer - she takes hot baths and . . . she likes to snuggle in bed. Nothing wrong snuggling. That sounds sort of romantic actually. ut we mustn't forget my wife's frigid digits. One touch and I shoot skyward like a scalded cat.
Speaking of cats, that's another bad thing about winter. Our cats like to snuggle too. Their just as bad as my wife is when it comes to leeching heat. Worse! They're forever climbing on my wife, looking for warmth and comfort.
Last night our cat did something it has never done. It hopped into our bed with us (at 2:00 in the morning!) and curled up between us. I had no clue. I was asleep at the time. But I became aware soon enough when I rolled over that someone else was in bed with us.
I felt a warm body next to me. Thinking is was my wife I snuggled a bit closer. She must still be cold. The poor thing. Well, I was plenty warm so I snuggled closer. That's when I noticed the purring. That's a little weird I thought but I reached out my hand to pull her close and grabbed nothing but cat fur.
Unacceptable!!
I shoved the cat off the bed as was greeted with a big hiss. I rejected the cats desire to stay in our bed where it was comfortable and warm.
Now some people will call me mean. My wife might be one of them. But beds are made for humans to sleep in, not cats. The same would be true for dogs is we had one. Our cats can sleep on the couch or the stuffed chair, but the bed is mine. It is created for a specific purpose and it wasn't to host felines.
I was listening to a lecture the other day that was given by a pastor. He was speaking about apostasy in the church.Apostasy is a lot like our cat in bed. Warm, fuzzy and should be kicked out as soon as it's noticed.
What is apostasy?
The 1828 Webster's Dictionary describes it as "an abandonment of what one has professed; a total desertion, or departure from one's faith or religion."
How does that happen? Slowly, very slowly. But it DOES happen.
The cat-in-bed scenario can also apply to sin in our lives. It creeps in ever so slowly. Even unnoticed at first but it can sneak in, even when we think we are watching.
"My wife is gone for the weekend. Maybe I'll check out that porn site the guys at work were telling me about."
"I'm home alone for the day. I'll eat the entire bag of potato chips while I watch my soap opera. I need a special day, all for myself. Maybe some ice cream too!"
"I wonder what this whiskey tastes like. Mom and dad keep it on the top shelf but here I am standing on a chair with the bottle in my hand. What will one drink hurt? Besides, mom and dad drink. How bad can it be?"
There are so many ways that sin sneaks into our lives. It finds a crack. A failing marriage suddenly makes it okay to explore other options. A bad day at school suddenly is cause for a drink, or two, or three.
What happened to who we once were? When did that once-innocent person get replaced with the more sinful model? Slowly. V-e-r-y S-l-o-w-l-y.
God wants more from us than a quick in-and-out at church on Sunday. He wants us to live lives of love and devotion. Of sacrifice and service. We are to worship God, not the idols we have allowed to be constructed in our lives. God doesn't want us to be comfortable. He wants us to be humble and to fear Him. Not be AFRAID of Him. To fear Him. To respect Him, to honor Him, to praise Him . . . above all else. May His Holy Spirit have His way with us - today, and always.
"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." - Psalm 139:14
"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever." - Psalm 106:1
"12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:12-17
Praise To The Lord - Jason Waller
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