JULY 29 – BEWARE!

“Beware of dogs” (Philippians 3:2).

There is counsel by God for your improvement in the Scripture; also, there are promises for one to hold firmly; blessings that provide happiness are also there. Promises of comfort are also there. At the same time, there are certain things in it which caution you.

In the above verse, the Scripture says, “Beware of dogs.” Here the word ‘dog’ indicates the characteristics of an animal. You have been called to reveal the sweet spiritual characteristics and should never reveal that of animals. The dirty characteristic of a dog is that it will eat what it had already vomited (Proverbs 26:11). You have got rid of many sins and these sins should never come back to your life. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Romans 6:2).

Imagine that a goat and a pig fall in a sewer. The goat will try to come out of it as soon as possible, shake its body vigorously and try to remove the dirty water from its body. But the pig will prefer to remain in the sewer. Even if it is taken out of it, its choice will be to stay in the sewer. Bringing back to life, the sins which had been got rid of after making a vow in the presence of God is the characteristic of a dog. Jesus said, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs” (Mathew 7:6). A holy one can never live along with a dirty one. You cannot live pleasing both the world and God simultaneously.

Prophet Isaiah looked holy. But when the light of God fell on him, he realised that many things of God’s dislike were in him. He lamented, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell amid a people of unclean lips.” God had to remove that characteristic from Isaiah. One of the Cherubim flew to him and made him clean by touching his lips with a live coal from the altar.

God can exalt you only when you come out of the dirt and the dirty descendants. The Scripture says, “Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (II Corinthians 6:17, 18).

The next characteristic of a dog is to growl and go around the place (Psalms 59:6). Dear children of God, do not spoil your soul by speaking unwanted words and words of mockery. May you always speak words that help in edifying one another!

To meditate: “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (Proverbs 13:3).