“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks…The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” Matthew 12:34-35 NIV
I hate it when the veterinarian hands you the little jar in which they expect you to gather up your dog’s poop and shove it into the tiny container and transport it to their office within hours so it’s still fresh. Sometimes it looks more like grass than poop with some leaves thrown in for variety. Fecal tests determine if your pet has intestinal parasites and are necessary to keep your pet healthy. What comes out of the pup shows what is on the inside of the pup.
Just like our pets, we need our insides to be healthy. We want to guard our hearts from heart worms and any parasites that would interfere with our relationship with God. A parasite is an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense. In other words, is there anything on the inside that is sucking the life out of you? If there is, it will show up on the outside.
Jesus states in Mark 7:20-22, “”What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come-sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly”. In Matthew 7:16, we are told that we shall be known by the fruit we produce. The fruits of the spirit are listed in Galatians 5. Good fruit is listed as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The bad fruit named is sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, and orgies. What is coming out of you? Delicious fruit or rotten tomatoes?
We are told in Ephesians 4:29-32, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”.
If you do the poop test and don’t like what you see, we are advised by Paul in Colossians 3 to put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature and clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Draw near to God today and ask him to remove all the parasites that are sucking the life out of you and thank him daily for the new, healthy you.
Just Another Dog Devotion 