Saving Sammy
Posted in Daily Focus on Tuesday, September 24, 2013
"Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
Have you ever had those moments in time when you saw something about to happen, but felt helpless to stop it? I was having one of those moments as I watched my son's black lab take notice of a car coming over the hill about a mile from our home. In that instant, I could see and sense what was about to happen in my mind.
For several months, we had included dog obedience training in my son's homeschool curriculum. Both my son and I had become frustrated with his black lab, Sammy. We had taught him many things, but the one thing we couldn't teach him was to give up chasing cars. Even though we had a long driveway and lived in the country, our space wasn't enough for him. We had even resorted to tying him up, but today we had let him loose to play as we worked outside.
Before I could grab the collar on this 50-pound fireball, Sammy started running toward the car he had seen. Both my son and I ran after him, screaming for him to stop. Everything went into slow motion as I saw that the dog and the car were on a collision course. We did all we could, but Sammy would not obey and stop. He was broadsided by the car at 50 mph.
The disobedience of Sammy provided a significant spiritual lesson for my son. Although Sammy had learned to do many things right, his death was caused by the one vice he refused to give up: wanting his own way. He literally ran headlong into trouble and met death at the end.
God grieves over your sinful disobedience each day, too. You let the Holy Spirit teach you the Word, but you refuse to be disciplined in the areas you are weakest. Because you do not see an immediate consequence, you run headlong into your vices of laziness, selfishness, or criticism, and think they will never hurt you; however, you are always on a collision course when you remain in known sin. The Holy Spirit is quenched by your defiance, and soon you are unable to hear His voice calling you back. Don't wait for a wreck to turn you around. Stop and yield your life to the Lord today! "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).
Jesus, I can't hear You right now, and it seems like Your voice has been quiet for a long time. Forgive me for allowing sins to remain in my life after You have taught me the truth. I repent today and ask You to fill me anew with the Holy Spirit. In Your precious name, Amen.
Comments(26 comments)
JENNIFER C 09/24/2008 06:33:41
once again you have touched my heart
Monique S 09/24/2008 06:51:11
Every morning we start the homeschooling day with Bible class. We are in Deuteronomy and just finished reading chapters 30 & 31. Moses tells the people after all this (what God is going to do for you because of His love for you) you are still going to disobey. God pleads with His people through Moses to choose life.
I stepped out of the classroom and my daughter takes advantgage of the situation and begins to initiate a guessing game with her brother. I hear her and step in while she is turned around in her seat talking while she is supposed to be studying. She freezes. I was just reminded earlier by the Holy Spirit to not let repeated sins, willful disobedience go unchecked. I had been doing this lately. Then when I read about Sammy, the scripture came into my mind, "...for the wages of sin is death..." I was helping her.
I stopped my children in their studies to read them this article. I could see the tears in my child's eyes as the words convicted her in her spirit. I pray that this lesson sinks so far into her that it creates a lasting change.
Thank you so much.
Monique S
SISTER L 09/24/2008 08:44:59
wow. How sad about Sammy, but such a true illustration. I'm going to share this with the women at The Sarah Home today.
CARLOS B 09/24/2008 10:11:05
This devotional was exactly what I needed because I have felt like I haven't heard God's voice for awhile and now I know why. I concentrate so much on the things I do right that I forget that there are also things I do wrong. . . .and I try to neglect them. I feel like I'm heading the same way Sammy was going. . . until I read your devotional. Thank you because it opened up my eyes to see things that I didn't want to see. I just prayed about it and asked God for forgiveness. Again, thanks!
KRYSTI C 09/24/2009 06:23:20
This story truly opened my eyes! I guess I have never thought of it like I did once I read this.
LAUREN O 09/24/2009 08:35:52
After reading this devotional I prayed about obedience hoping to stay right at my Father's side and no longer drift away with easily justifiable sins. When we pray with our children about obedience we call it, "letting Jesus take care of us", because that's exactly what it is. I don't know how I forget it. I know what it is to let those seemingly, small sins cause a life altering disaster. Thank you so much for this story! For me it was God calling me closer to Him and away from danger again. God is so amazingly wonderful, patient, loving and powerful!!
MELISA D 09/24/2010 17:36:09
Aww :( The poor doggie. Is your son o.k. though? I had a dog when i was little. It hurt to let him go.
AUDREY A 09/24/2010 18:53:17
What a sad ending for Sammy...I had hoped not to read about his death in this devotional. But what a great lesson learnt for me too...to submit to God the areas of my life that I am not.
AUDRA K 09/24/2011 07:53:31
Thank u for this devotional. Convicted my heart. Thank u.
Audra k
TIA G 09/24/2011 10:28:30
God's timing is so perfect. I read this after getting off the phone finding out that my 38 yr old niece escaped from a half-way house and is missing. She has spent her life running from the truth she was taught about God's word and "the wages of sin is death". She started out as a young girl "making up stories" - lying and it became such a habit that led to many other things. She was already in trouble with the law by 14 yrs of age. She started using drugs and despite everyone's encouragement to turn away from that life of death, she remained there, trying to find "her own way" and not God's in the drugs. She escalated into a serious dealer and then a "snitch' which got her in trouble with a powerful gang. After finally ending up in jail, for what seemed a final chance, serving only 3 1/2 years for what was suppose to be a 40 yr sentence, she has taken it in her own hands again and escaped. By her choices she puts herself at risk of physical and spiritual death and her family as well. She has chose to follow her own way and reject what she knows in Christ and she is heading for a high speed collision with death. As I read this, I was able to share with my son both of these situations (my niece and Sammy- my son has a dog like Sammy) and I will hope that the Holy Spirit brings conviction in his heart to see the pattern of following our own way brings destruction and sometimes death. If any of you desire to pray for my niece, her name is Deedee. We don't know if she is alive even, but we do know God is in control and His Way is Perfect!!!
A W 09/24/2011 11:08:48
My husband and I have prayed for Deedee. I know what it is to have family members who live in this pattern. But, I believe God is always able to do what looks impossible. Whatever you do don't give up on her. God is not willing that any should perish, but that ALL come to everlasting life. So with that in mind, I command the Holy Angels of God to surround her and keep her from all hurt, harm, and danger. I bless Deedee to come to the realization of Salvation in Jesus. Holy Spirit go to wherever she is and draw her to yourself. Bring her to repentance in you. Let the word of God that she has been taught resonate in her loud and clear, and let her be unable to get away from your voice. Let her have no rest until she comes to you. We declare that Deedee shall live and not die, and she shall declare the works of the Lord. Amen
CECELIA S 09/25/2011 07:53:28
If you knew Sammy, a dog, had a tendency to chase cars and put his life in danger, his death was your fault for not having him properly restrained in the yard. It is not accurate to attribute what happened to Sammy as sinfulness on his part. His death was the result of your thoughtlessness and neglect.
MARINA S 09/25/2011 08:28:30
Once again, your devotional has hit home. Thank you.
ALICE N 09/25/2011 12:52:25
Wow---what a powerful illustration!
GORDEN M 07/25/2012 14:19:38
If you knew Sammy, a dog, had a tendency to chase cars and put his life in danger, his death was your fault for not having him properly restrained in the yard. It is not accurate to attribute what happened to Sammy as sinfulness on his part. His death was the result of your thoughtlessness and neglect.
ROBYN C 09/24/2012 05:18:17
Praying for DeeDee. And I will add her to my prayer list in my Bible. let us know what happens. And thank you for this. I will read it in homeschool today. These devotionals are wonderful!
GORDEN M 09/24/2012 05:54:19
If you knew Sammy, a dog, had a tendency to chase cars and put his life in danger, his death was your fault for not having him properly restrained in the yard. It is not accurate to attribute what happened to Sammy as sinfulness on his part. His death was the result of your thoughtlessness and neglect.
JODI N 09/24/2012 07:56:05
Gorden and Cecilia, I\'m sure the family let their dog have a break from being tied up so he could enjoy running around the yard. Living in a rural area, they probably didn\'t have a lot of traffic. They didn\'t realize that their choice to let their dog have a little freedom while they were out working in the yard, would turn out to be a tragedy. Their love for their dog is the reason the let him play out in the yard that day. Sometimes, things don\'t go the way we want them to. However, the lesson that was learned by the dog\'s example was a very important one. Have a wonderful day!
RITA H 09/24/2012 08:18:48
A wonderful illustration for most of us in one area or the other. For myself, I am heading into a deadly wreck with my health. God, forgive my laziness and gluttony!!!!
RITA H 09/24/2012 08:27:09
I think the devotion is an illustration of our pushing ahead in areas we know are wrong....not literally a story of a dog making sinful choices. Clearly, it is obvious the dog should have been leashed or tied, but the point is they had tried to train the dog for his safety, and he did not do it...just as we know better.
KATHY S 09/24/2012 09:12:15
Sometimes God will allow sad things to happen for a bigger purpose that he has. I\'m sad for Sammy and the little boy. We never really know why things happen, only God knows.
RAYA M 09/24/2012 10:13:02
I think it\'s really sad that some on here have chosen to put salt in a wound for this family. This family was very obviously choosing good choices for this dog, keeping him as safe as possible, and training him. If they had kept him locked up all the time I\'m sure you would criticize for that too. Bad things happen in life and it\'s a lesson for us all. The point of the devotion was for us to recognize where we are stubborn in our choices - like poor Sammy, who DID make his own choice.
DENISE M 09/24/2012 10:24:15
Our dog was hit by a car because of her disobedience also.As she was younger, she would run away and not listen to us. We moved to a town in which she was hit. Her neck was broken. Someone picked her up out of the road. We took her to the vet and he said he could try to save her. I know that it was GOD who saved her life. She was in a body cast for 8 weeks. Since she has been out of the body cast, she is a listens very weill. God brought to mind that if you don\'t listen to the Master (GOD), life will hit you hard, and may even take your life like Sammy\'s. But, there are times that He gives you a second chance to listen to him. It has been a year since her accident and you would never know it happened to her. PRAISE GOD!
CARL V 09/24/2012 11:20:18
I heard a sermon yesterday on Mark 7: 24-30. In the story, Jesus flat out calls the Syrophoenician woman a dog. In response, the woman admits that she is a dog, an unworthy sinner who humbly comes to Jesus and calls him Lord. Because of her great faith, Jesus then heals her daughter.
Like the Syrophoenician woman, we must openly admit to being no better than a dog like Sammy, prone to sinful and disastrous habits. Thankfully, through faith and the amazing grace of Jesus Christ, he has saved us from the death we deserve.
AMANDA R 09/24/2012 15:16:14
That was completely what I needed to hear today!
Cathy G 09/24/2012 16:52:24
That is so sad about Sammy! Obedience is a very hard thing! Thanks for sharing. My almost 11 year old son and I are going to read a Proverb a day in October...31 ways in 31 days to be wise and obedient! Blessing to all!