by Victoria Heinecke

…. or following God?

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

There is a cat who lives next door to us. She roams our neighborhood during the day, visiting the homes on our street. She enjoys communing with nature, and on more than one occasion has brought one of her new found friends home to her owners. Most of the time, it’s a piece of her new found friend. She has a strong predator instinct, and rabbits know to avoid her.

She visits our home several times a week, and I keep a toy handy so we can play. It’s a fish on a line. She may sense that it’s not a living animal, but she can’t resist pouncing on it every time she sees it. She’s an intelligent cat who knows her name and words such as “inside” and “outside,” but she cannot control her instinct.

Instincts can sometimes serve us well and help us survive, and sometimes they can get us into trouble when they manifest as impulsive behavior.

Our youth group has engaged in a “30 Hour Famine” to gain an understanding of world hunger. At the end of the event, while ending their fast, they were so hungry that they’d gorge themselves on that first meal to the point of getting a nasty tummy ache. Although they were encouraged to pace themselves, the urge to quell the hunger was overwhelming and difficult to control.

God created us to be different from animals. He made us in his image and gave us free will. After man’s fall in the garden (Genesis 3), out of love for us, he sent his son Jesus to save us from the consequences of our sins. He also sent the Holy Spirit to be our guide and counselor, to help us walk in new life with him.

“…Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.“
Galatians 5:16b English Standard Version

Dear Lord, thank you for all you provide for us to live in peace in this world. Help us to love your law, and guide our steps to be in harmony with one another. Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado