It’s fun to have a pet, isn’t it? We once had a dog that caused us so much trouble that when it died we decided never to get another one. But a friend of ours had two puppies, and they were so cute that when he offered one to us we thought, This time it will be different. Sparky is too cute to be a nuisance.
And some dogs are very different from others, but they all have a dog’s nature. It’s like the children at school. Some are so naughty that you don’t even want to play with them, while others are okay, and some are really nice. You would like them to be your friends. But God tells us, “There is none righteous, no, not one. . . . There is none that [seeks] after God” (Romans 3:10-1110As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (Romans 3:10‑11)). That’s because we all have that sinful human nature that came down from Adam.
Sparky has a dog’s nature. That’s the way she was born. And dogs bark, especially outside dogs. One time we had overnight guests, and Sparky barked all that night and disturbed our guests. Of course, we tried to train Sparky not to bark, but we were never successful. Then one night she hardly barked at all, and I thought our training was beginning to take effect. But when I looked out our window in the morning, I could see that Sparky had spent the night dragging the trash bags around the yard. There was trash everywhere! What a mess!
“Why do we keep this dog?” my wife asked. “She causes us nothing but grief! ”
Sparky certainly had not learned to use her mouth very well. And God says about people’s mouths that their “mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:1414Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (Romans 3:14)). “The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:88But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:8)). Perhaps we can be trained to use our tongues nicely, and perhaps Sparky can be trained not to bark so much and not to get into the trash. However, underneath it all, we still have the same evil nature we were born with. What we need is to be born again with an entirely new nature that wants to please God.
One day I was spraying our fields with a very strong weed killer, and Sparky was doing what she loved to do - chase the tractor. I stopped and yelled at her, “Sparky, go home!” She ran back a short way, but as soon as I started up again, she was right beside the tractor. I stopped again to send her home, because I knew this strong spray could kill animals. This time she went a little farther toward the house, but soon she was running behind the tractor where the spray was thickest. It was a hot day, and Sparky must have liked the cool spray. When the spray ran down her face, she would lick it off as though it were a real treat. But I could not spend all day chasing a dog; the work had to be finished.
When I came home that evening, Sparky was on the porch looking as sick as a dog can be. She’s going to die, I thought, all because she was disobedient. I remembered what God says in Psalm 107:1717Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. (Psalm 107:17): “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are [in misery].” How often we sin against God and live just to please ourselves, even though God’s Word says plainly, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:1111Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)).
Do you wonder why God does not just destroy all of us when we cause Him so much grief ? It’s because He loves us! In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His own beloved Son into this world to die for us, so we could be set free from our sins and have a new nature.
Would you like to be free from both the power and the penalty of your sins? It can’t happen if you have only that sinful nature you were born with. Sparky can never be born again; she’ll always have only a dog’s nature. But you can receive a new nature, the very nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, if you will come to Him for forgiveness of your sins. You must be born again into God’s family or you will never be able to please God, nor will He take you to live in heaven when you leave this world. Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:33Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)).
I know you will be glad to hear that Sparky did not die from the strong spray. She was sick for only one day, and soon she was back doing all the things that dogs love to do. But Sparky will always be a dog and have a dog’s nature.
You and I were born sinners and have a sinful nature. But God is offering us a new nature through His Son Jesus Christ. Will you accept it?
ML-08/01/2004