Beware Of The Dog!

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

"He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears."   Proverbs  26:17

     Never catch a dog by the ears, for it is the most sensitive part of his body.  Pull his tail if you must - but not his ears - never, unless you want to be bitten.  Solomon compares this foolish, dangerous act with persons who meddle in other people's affairs.  But sometimes you can't avoid it and you are unwillingly involved.

     Pity the poor preacher who is expected to patch up a quarrel between husband and wife.  He has "two strikes on him" before he begins.  If he takes the side of the wife - the husband is mad.  If he sides with the husband - the wife is angry, and if he refuses to take sides at all - both of them are ready to snap at him - for trying to take a dog by the ears.  If the couple are unsaved, then we can often help them a great deal, probably show them that their troubles would be solved if they would only accept the Lord.  But when Christians who know the Lord and His Word cannot patch up their squabbles, what chance has an outsider who comes in to tackle the longeared dog?

     Some time ago a lady called begging me to come over right away because her husband threatened to leave her.  "Please come over, please, and straighten this out!"  They had been feuding for days.  I asked her if she was a Christian and she said  "Yes."  "Is your husband a Christian?"  The reply was  "Yes, and he's listening on the extension phone."  "Well,"  I said,  "if you are both Christians, you can settle your trouble immediately.  I am not coming over until after you have read together Ephesians 4:32.  'And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.  That is God's solution - try it first, and if that doesn't work, call me and I'll come over.  But you must believe Ephesians 4:32 and do it.  If it fails, call me."  I am still waiting for the call.  Don't bother others with your problems when you have the answer right before you in the Bible.

"Bread For Each Day"