Let me tell you a dog story that I hope will encourage you today. About seven years ago Marianne and I were living in the woods of Stovall Georgia, 8/10ths of a mile off the main road. My son-in-law had given me a dog. She was a Black Lab Mix that I named Lucy. One day I took her for a walk. I had her on one of those ten-foot retractable leashes. Needless to say – she was ten feet away from me. I wasn’t paying much attention to her when something caught her attention. She suddenly lunged forward and jerked the leash out of my hand. The leash was in the retract mode. When Lucy heard the plastic handle of the leash hit the ground behind her, she stopped and turned to see what the noise was. Horror of horrors! The leash was retracting and coming toward her! She immediately went into passing gear. Each paw was kicking of a rooster tail of dust. And every time she would look back, that thing was gaining on her! She would catch another gear! I finally found her in the woods with her leash tangled in some undergrowth – and that’s the only reason she stopped!
Now, why did I share that story with you? To illustrate that this must be what God’s grace and love looks like. When everything in our life suddenly changes, things are gaining on us that we cannot recognize or outrun, and our fear has so entangled us that we cannot proceed – most likely it is just God’s grace and love chasing us down and stopping us before we really get in a mess.
John 4:4 states, “And he must needs go through Samaria.” Grace, Love, & Forgiveness had to go where He ordinarily wouldn’t go to chase down a Samaritan Woman at a well. Aren’t you glad God’s love and grace chases us down? (Hey, you guys can develop the sermon from there!)
I hope you’re having a wonderful summer and will preach gooood this Sunday. I prayed for you.
Let ‘er rip, Tater Chip!
Bro. Aaron