Years ago, while she was on vacation, Jackie’s dog got lost. She hadn’t left him with Judy and me, but with a friend of hers, who had a dog who was friends with Kujo. Well, this lady made a trip out to Tum Tum, on the Spokane River, west of the city. Kujo got away and headed home to Sandpoint. We were told a day or so later. He eventually ended up, nearly a week later, in a back yard with a rottweiler in Deerpark. During that time it was obvious that he had passed through a dozen interesting adventures, including walking 50 miles, the 4th of July and crossing highway 395.
How do dogs get lost? Well, in Kujo’s case there were a number of factors. And I’m convinced that he probably never considered himself to be lost. It appeared that he knew exactly where he was going, even though he had never taken that route before. But generally speaking, how do dogs get lost? They follow their noses. Dog’s noses are highly developed parts of their bodies, nevertheless those noses can still get them into a great deal of trouble.
How do human beings get lost? I don’t mean in the spiritual sense – their original condition in the sight of God. That is something over which the individual has no control – they are born in a lost-dead condition. This time, I mean in a destructive state in their physical lives. How did that man, hooked on meth or alcohol, get to that position? Why did that other man start stealing from his employer? Human beings rarely follow their noses, which are not highly developed. But sometimes we follow our thoughts, which may be somewhat developed – sometimes not so much. For a person, following thoughts can be just as troublesome as the dog following his nose. So here’s my question – Where are your thoughts leading you?
I can give you a general answer.
I read, years ago, in a church bulletin, this little saying – “Sow a thought, reap a deed; sow a deed, reap an habit; sow a habit, reap a life.” The idea is that thoughts lead to actions, which can create habits, which in turn produce character. And your character either reflects – or substantially is – who you are.
There was Eve in the garden talking to the most beautiful and intelligent creature she had ever seen – her husband notwithstanding. The serpent put an idea in her head – “Don’t you want to be like God? All that you have to do is eat the fruit of this particular tree.” It did not take long before that was exactly what Eve was doing – eating the forbidden fruit. I wonder what would have happened if Adam had returned early and tried to dissuade her. I know that unfallen humanity was different, but from my current perspective, I doubt that Adam’s arguments would have altered her eventual action. It may have taken a day or two, but Eve’s contemplation on the fruit, on what Lucifer said, and on what she perceived in God, would have brought her eventually into her sin.
When the walls of Jericho fell, Achan and others entered the city. Every one of those men, women & children had heard the command not to loot, steal or borrow anything. And it is reasonable to think that the idea crossed the minds of several people. But either out of fear or obedience, not a single person gave that thought a second thought. Except for Achan, whose mind drove his eye to return a second, third and fourth time to the beautiful forbidden fruit. When he couldn’t divert his mind, it began to produce excuses and arguments for theft. He followed his nose, his mind, his heart into sin and eventual destruction.
There is a great deal of talk right now about the Power Ball lottery. The last I heard, the jackpot was $1.5 billion. The other day I heard talk about people spending their entire paychecks to buy tickets. I heard people say they were pooling money with fellow employees in order to buy hundreds of tickets. What is the likelihood of winning a billion dollars? Infinitesimal; microscopic; atomic particle size. But that will not keep millions of fools from spending grocery money and mortgage money on the lottery. When people lust after all the things which only lots of money can buy… If that is what they think about, want and long for… They just might do anything to get it. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that people are mortgaging their houses and taking their cars to the maffia-run title loan sharks, in order to buy Power Ball tickets. Be careful about the things that you think.
Because your thoughts lead to actions and even a single bad action can be extremely dangerous. In fact, those thoughts can produce life consuming habits. How many people will begin buying lottery tickets every week for the rest of their lives, because they have begun thinking about what could have been this week, if they had won. How many people smoke cigarettes today – even though their first cigarette made them throw-up?
When I get in the drivers seat of my car, I automatically put on my seat belt. I don’t think about doing it, I automatically do it; it is a habit – a good habit???? Sometimes I force myself, not to put on my seat-belt, because I’m just moving the car. Let’s pretend that you have a fork in your hand. That fork has stabbed some of your favorite pie or a nice piece of meat. Now slowly raise that spoon toward your face. Did you know that your mouth opens automatically – you don’t have to think about it. You have a habit of opening your mouth when a spoon or fork comes your way.
Did you know that lying can become an habit? People sometimes lie about so many things that they can become more apt to lie than to tell the truth. Some people are “compulsive liars.” “Compulsive” in this case meaning – “compelled by something inside.” Teasing, or complaining, or accusing can become a terrible habit. At first, it just starts out as a thought-out plan, it is going to be fun to tease that person. Believe me, it can soon become compulsive – you can end up doing it without thinking. And things like complaining, or being terribly grumpy, can become habits. I know people, that I can classify “grumpy” or some other dwarfish names. On the other hand some are up-beat, happy, smiling people. Those attitudes often begin as little things in their lives.
And that points out that our habits often determine who we become. Here is a man who is very apt to lie if he’s cornered. What is he known as? He is “a liar.” Here is a lady, who as a teenager, found out that shop-lifting can be exciting. She did it once, and it thrilled her; pretty soon, she was doing it more often. After a while, she became a kleptomaniac, stealing every time she went into a store. But “kleptomaniac” is just another name for “thief.” The character of that lady is that of a thief.
How do you want people to think of you?
How do you want them to describe you? Do you want them to call you “kind” and “considerate?” Then you need to think about ways in which you can show kindness to others. Then don’t just think about it, but do it. Kindness is not something which is just going to pop out of you when the moment is right – unless you have made it an habit of your life. It is something which needs to be considered, nurtured and developed. Would you like to be known as “happy,” then think about those things for which you ought to be thankful. Notice that I didn’t say, “Think happy thoughts” – that is empty psychology. Rather, consider the million things about which you ought to be thankful to God and to others. Thankful people are happy people; contented people are happy people. But if you constantly contemplate the things which you lack – wedges of gold, forbidden fruit – then you are not going to be happy with today and with what God has given to you. Do want to be known as unquestionably honest, then don’t even think a dishonest thought.
Is this important? Yes, because your character determines much about your eternity. While it is true that happy people can spend eternity in Hell, and unhappy people can go to Heaven… Some forms of habitual sin make faith in God and trust in Christ completely impossible. Plus, there is the fact that aspects of our character may determine the blessing or the rebuke of Christ, when we eventually stand before Him. The grumpy, miserly, self-consumed, critical person is going to greatly disappointed at the Bema. But if you are loving, helpful, kind and often leaving a smile with people, like giving away a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, you will not loose your reward. And remember, it is necessary that we work at, think about and practice the traits of good character. They done come automatically.
So be careful about what you think. I hate to consider what will happen to the person, male or female, who spends time looking at pornography. How much do violent, gory video games have to do with the violence we hear about on the news? But if you read your Bible, meditate and memorize scriptures, you more than likely will have a helpful ministry, a joyful life and a blessed eternity.