Even the dogs lined up (but they ran forward…and as you can see, Bella quickly gave up and just wanted to play fetch!). Both girls took a tumble, and I’m really not sure who won. But I think we’d all agree that it’s easier to run forward!
It can be tempting to disobey God and think that’ll help us get ahead. But those things will actually move us farther backward.
1 Chronicles 7:4 says, “And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty thousand men: for they had many wives and sons.”
A lot of Israelites thought they were getting ahead by having a lot of children, especially sons who could go to war and grow the army bigger. And they sadly don’t seem to have hesitated to often disobey God by taking multiple wives to grow their families and satisfy their wrong desires. They thought they were getting ahead, but sin always moves us backward in the ways that matter most.
Hopefully polygamy isn’t a temptation for us, but there are many sins that tempt us to cut a corner or take an easy way out and think we’re getting ahead.
Anger is one of those issues for me.
James 1:20 says, “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” When I’m angry, sinful things often sound right and helpful, like I can get ahead by saying or doing something I know I shouldn’t. But my anger, unless it is fully directed by God, always moves me backward.
I hope we can each genuinely move forward today.