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Bible Study Verses
Hebrews 12:7-11
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their Father? If you are not disciplined-and everyone undergoes discipline-then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover,
we have all had human Fathers who disciplined us and we respected them
for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and
live! They disciplined us for a little while as they
thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may
share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time,
but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness
and peace for those who have been trained by it. (NIV)
Thoughts
Where I hunt in Arizona
it is likely that a hunter and his bird dog will encounter rattlesnakes.
You all know how much I like snakes (there's no such thing as a good
snake, not even a dead one).
A couple years back I
was able to watch a dog trainer "snake train" a hunting dog, in this
case a Brittany Spaniel. He had caught a rattler, defanged the snake,
and used it to train the dog. A snake has an attractive odor to a dog
and they are curious about the noise the snake makes. Couple this with
the dog running hard and getting on a snake before he knows it is there
and you may have to make a fast trip to the local veterinarian.
Anyway, the trainer put
the snake out on the bare ground then brought the dog to the snake. The
dog, like most, showed an interest and finally succumbed to the
temptation to get close to the snake. When the snake struck at the dog
the trainer lit him up with a shocking collar.
In this case, the dog
did not need a second lesson. When the trainer brought him to the snake
again the dog tried to drag the trainer into the next county. The
training wasn't pleasant for the dog, but it worked and it just might
save his life some day.
(Cliff S)
Action Point
We all have "snakes" or
temptations around us daily. Some we see plainly, some are subtle and
sneak up on us. God uses discipline and training to make us aware when
danger lurks nearby and, if we give in to the temptation, He just might
"light us up" in one way or another to teach us to avoid the temptation
in the future.
Yes, there are
consequences for sin. Just like the rattlesnake can kill a dog with its
bite, sin can kill us. The Bible has examples where people literally
died physically because of sin. But, more importantly, sin can cause us
to die spiritually.
God wants to be in
fellowship with us but our sin stands between us and Him. Faith in
Jesus covers our sin but sometimes we are prone to forget and get a
little too close to the "snake" and God has to remind us to stay close
to Him and avoid the "bite". But, remember, God disciplines us for our
good. Just like the trainer teaches the dog to avoid the danger of the
rattlesnake, so God trains us to avoid the danger of the "snakes" around
us.
Sportsman's Tip of the Day
Most dogs need an annual
refresher course in avoiding snakes, just as they do annual medical
boosters. Find a trainer in your area that provides snake training and
pay the fee to have it done. It just might save your dog from a fatal
snake bite.
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