The Puppy
"As many as I love I rebuke and
chasten" (Revelation 3:19)
Many years ago, a friend named
Michael suggested we take a booth for a day at the Tanque Verde Swap
Meet, in Tucson, Arizona. I didn't have much to sell, but thought it
would be interesting to spend a day with Michael, so I agreed.
Our for-sale items were not
popular - mostly we just commented on life and were interested in those
who passed by. To our left, however, there was a space rented by
someone who had puppies for sale. They did VERY well, and the technique
they used as puppy-salespersons was interesting.
A family would walk near them,
inevitably prompted by a child uttering a comment like, "Mommy, look at
the puppies!" By the time the family managed to navigate the few feet
from where they were to the puppy stall, one of the smiling sellers had
opened a cage door, removed a puppy, and placed it into the arms of the
child. If there were two children, then two puppies were removed and
placed, and so on.
From that moment, it became
difficult for the parents to say "No" to the child. Great tears and
loud sounds would come from the child, if the parents said, "Give the
puppy back, dear," and attempted to walk away. I learned a life-long
lesson that day, which can be best expressed by the statement: “Don't
hold the puppy!
We are all much like little
children in the sight of God, which I can see in the intense curiosity
which has been both a blessing and a curse, all my life. If I see it, I
want to find out what's inside, what makes it work, and so on. Early
on, I took my parent’s favorite clock apart and then couldn’t put it
back together. My Dad couldn’t either.
There is nothing WRONG with
curiosity. It is God's gift to help us help others. As Pastor Chuck
Smith has pointed out, one of the co-discoverers of anesthesia got his
idea from the Bible. He observed that God took a few molecules of
substance (a "rib") from the first man, Adam, and fashioned it into
another separate being, called Eve. In doing so, he put Adam into a
"deep sleep," until the surgery was complete.
I appreciated the curiosity of
the inventor a few weeks ago when surgery was done on my wife. She was
unconscious at the time three incisions were made in her abdomen. What
if she had been awake during the process? In past centuries, MANY died
during surgery, simply because of shock due to pain. The question came
into the inventor's mind, as he read the Bible account: "I wonder if
this would help patients during surgery?" And it did. Many lives have
been saved as the result of his curiosity.
But curiosity can be negative.
The commandments of God are designed to be curative in nature. "Thou
shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14) is not only to protect
the person you might be curious about and interested in, but also to
protect you and others, as well. It's amazing how many people destroy
themselves and others, by relentless curiosity: "I wonder what THEY
would be like?" Don't go there. "Don't hold the puppy".
Your curiosity is a good thing,
but it can be mis-used. An example is a tool called the "telescope".
You can study the universe with one (that's good), or a smaller one can
be used to spy on others (that's not good). God has in mind that you
will be curious about HIM, and in that regard, He has given you: 1)
God’s Word, revealing our need of God
the Son and His love for us; 2) Jesus Christ,
who sends you His Spirit, and 3) His Holy
Spirit, enabling us to understand His Word.
Our Scripture verse for today is
extremely interesting: "As many as I love I
rebuke and chasten" (Revelation 3:19). You will find that life
holds many barriers and limitations, which you probably won't like. "I
want this" and "I want that," but you don't get what you want. Or you
do get "it," and it has a negative outcome. His "rebuke"
is expressed in attractive "doors" that will not open, and "chasten"
from "doors" that do open, but you now wish they hadn't. There are
repercussions in what you do.
I’ll share something with you: I
like most food, far too much. So, if you come up to me often, shake my
hand, smile, and reach into your back pocket, somehow coming out with a
lemon meringue pie every time, my eyes will widen with pleasure and I
will smile. Too many pies and my stomach reach the point where I’ll
need “Goodyear” tattooed on my side. It may look good and taste good,
but to be right for me, it should stay in your back pocket.
In relation to over-eating the
wrong foods, the chastening of the Lord can include obesity and
diabetes. For adultery, there is an abundance of problems like venereal
disease. Notice that in the simple marriage of a man and woman who are
faithful to one another, such diseases are rare. But, step out of your
marriage and destruction will come to you.
In both of these actions,
over-eating and adultery, people bring judgment on themselves. The
“rebuke” and “chastening” have been built into the activity. You do it
and eventually things happen you won’t like. But the “rebuke” and
“chastening” are there because He loves you. You will be taken out of
self-will and selfishness, often at a greater price than you wanted to
pay.
I’ve wondered: How MUCH of our
cancers and other difficulties in life are self-caused? Or caused by
the action of some other person? The promiscuous person, for example,
will bring increased likelihood of diseases home to their spouse. Wives
and husbands should delight in one another, and if you don’t, go to the
Lord – TOGETHER! He will heal your marriage, restore your hearts;
redirect your curiosity and give you love.
Help us, Lord. Let our curiosity
be used to help others and not for selfish reasons. Fill us with the
agape love of Jesus Christ; and let us be faithful to one another,
faithful to You. We love You, Lord, and we trust in You now. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
ron@fridaystudy.org
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
