NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

Day 3 - Fat cat

Scripture focus: But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously – take God seriously. Attention! God calls out to the city! If you know what's good for you, you'll listen. So listen, all of you! This is serious business. Malachi 6:8-9 The Message

We once owned a very fat cat who loved us even though we gave her a name that prophesied her portly figure. Pumpkin loved to bring us treats. She was quite the hunter, too. This fateful combination meant that we often came home to find dead vermin on our porch steps - which was the good news. If we weren't paying attention, we'd come home, open the door and Pumpkin would rush in with her mouth full of captured prey and promptly plop it at our feet. One time the varmint wasn't quite dead, and managed to revive itself once Pumpkin released him onto our kitchen floor. This resulted in a lot of screaming and running around trying to catch the dazed but amazingly spry creature as he scurried off toward the formal rooms, beautifully blanketed in white carpet. It was not a good evening at the McBean household. Pumpkin often looked bemused when her love offerings where met with shrieks and squeals. She expected better of us for all her troubles.

Pumpkin never quite figured out that her loving intentions were misguided (instinctive, normal and natural for her but not what we wanted or needed). I wonder if God is bemused by all our attempts to "be good" by bringing him treats. In our attempts to be attractive, functional and productive, do we sometimes end up bringing God vermin?

Leaky living is in many ways a gift; it gets our attention and teaches us of our need for a Savior. I'm so easily confused. I keep thinking that I need to do good things to get God's attention and approval. But my body and soul cry out in protest. My body has its appetites which it craves, much like our cat had an appetite for catching critters. My soul is emotional and full of personality that has its own natural inclinations – sometimes in contradiction to the ways of God. But all this frustration can spur us on to paying closer attention to what God really desires of us. After all, he created us. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

How then, should we proceed? If our body, soul, and spirit are supposed to work together and become fit for the coming of Christ but our appetites, emotions and personality sometimes get confused about what God desires and how we are to respond to Him, then where do we begin?

Recommended reading: Exodus 7 - 9

- click on the word comments and join our conversation

Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community