High Impact Living

WATCH THOSE TREATS

For the past twelve years my dog Sammie has been my faithful friend. She greets me every morning on the side of my bed, is overjoyed every time I come home and comes over again at bedtime to say goodnight.

Sammie is protective of me even with my wife. When my wife comes home, she will come over to me or lay on me. If my wife and I hug or kiss she barks and tries to come between us.

She is friendly to people especially kids but always most devoted to me. A few months ago, I noticed she kept going around our neighbor’s mailbox. I couldn’t figure out why but she would go there every time she went outside.

Then one day I realized what was going on. My neighbors walk someone’s dog each morning and they leave treats on the ground next to the mailbox. If Sammie gets to the treats first, then she eats them.

And I noticed she started wanting to go over to the neighbor’s house. She might even follow them instead of me when we were outside. I couldn’t believe it. My neighbors began to call themselves Sammie’s grandparents because they would spoil her with treats.

I never gave Sammie very many treats, maybe once or twice a week. She didn’t need treats to do what she was supposed to do. I knew she liked treats but she never acted like treats were that important.

And now every single day she is focused on getting treats. She checks around the mailbox and follows my neighbors to their house in hopes of getting more treats. I’m surprised she would change her behavior after all these years.

Galatians 6:1 says, “So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out and don’t be tempted yourself.” The meaning of this from the original language is that you can be surprisingly overtaken by a sin and step aside from your walk with God.

It can happen. I know someone who never drank alcohol until their late thirties and then got hooked. A man who was married for over 30 years and then had an affair. A person who stole from a church after working there for years.

You can be on the right path following Jesus for many years and then fall into sin. You can be devoted to Christ for a long time and then be led astray. Watch out, temptation is out there. Don’t fall for the sinful treats.

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