Living Hope Fellowship Church

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. Living Hope Fellowship Church....Sermons by the Pastor

PUPPY LOVE

by Sam Bowles, 03/21/07 p.m.

Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

The answer is in Christ Jesus. Once you are free, stand firm and decree you will not lose it. Jesus says in Matthew 11:30, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Some people feel that their life is complete with a decent home, all the bills paid up, everyone is healthy in the family, and the vehicle is running okay. Things are all right. There is food in the fridge, the kids aren’t acting up, and things are pretty decent. Yet there is a void within. There is no satisfaction from within. Things from without only bring temporary satisfaction. We need something that stays with us day and night, even when things aren’t going well.

When we get a new puppy we bring him home in a box, and we want him to STAY in the box, because the mess in the box is easier to clean up. When he gets out he could mess up the whole house. We pick him up and cuddle him when WE want to. As he grows he finds his way out of the box and gets in to stuff. We get frustrated, and the cute puppy now spends more time outside. Then you say, What was I thinking when I bought you? You don’t even think about the cute little puppy he was, because you are angry.

What does this have to with God? When I received Jesus, it was as precious as precious can be. It was glorious, and I loved Him so much. Then all of a sudden He began to make what I thought was a mess! I am supposed to pray, but that got into my time. I mean it IS MY time. I do have rights, you know. He got into my TV programs and other things, and He began to meddle! I read in His Word that I’ve got to change, but maybe I really don’t need that any more.

We speak more volumes with our actions that we do with our voices. We push the Lord aside, and Jesus winds up on the outside just like the puppy. When He starts dealing with our heart and tries to change our mind we get offended.

We want God in that box, so we can worship and come to Him when WE want to. When we need to, we will call on Him. That is puppy love. We love Him, but when He starts to change things we are uncomfortable, and we push Him away. We are used to coping with what is wrong, but in reality the right is a whole lot easier to deal with. We think it is more difficult, because we know we will have to change.

Galatians 5:7 says, “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?” At one time you did a great job. What happened? Verse 8 says, “This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.” Some begin the race, but when God begins to change things, they just lock up and say, I don’t know.

John 14:15-17 says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth. . . he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” The Holy Ghost will be with you all the time.

You can come into a service and watch God move. You can sit right beside people and feel the overflow, but you need the Holy Ghost IN you.

God is not a puppy dog you can put in and out when you want. Well, I want to play with him, so I’ll bring him in a little while. Ohhhh! He’s making a mess. That’s enough. Get him out. That is how we treat God.

The Lord sent the Holy Ghost to be IN you, and it will make a difference everywhere you go. We need to change from the inside out, because Matthew 15:11 says, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”

To be in Christ is glorious, and it gives you confidence that at His appearing your name is written down in heaven. You will go to be with Jesus forever! That is what being IN CHRIST is all about. There is nothing at all worth going to hell for. The anointing will deliver you, so why are you still carrying those burdens?

Let’s get away from the puppy love. I pray I presented this to you in a way you can understand it. I’m not downgrading God in any way by using a puppy as a reference. I want to be in the inner court where God is. I want you to examine yourself, and draw near to God. I am praying that you will see how much we dishonor our Lord when we do not love Him enough to obey His commands and let Him change us.

livinghope@hughes.net