No! No!

We have a dog and she's pretty special...to my husband.  Okay.  He's crazy in love with the dog, but I'll save that for another devotional.

Recently, we were getting ready to leave town for a few days, so I moved the dog's dishes to the kitchen.   This would make it easier for our daughter-in-law to manage the feeding and watering of the dog while we were gone.

I placed the dog's dishes under a bench in the kitchen to keep them near, yet not to easy for little hands to reach.  The moment I sat those dishes down in the kitchen, our 20-month old grandson walked over to the bowls.  He stood and observed them, one bowl with water and one with dog food.  He knew immediately that those two bowls did not belong under that bench.

As I watched him, he did an amazing thing.  He pointed his finger at the bowls and shook his head, No! No!  I was shocked…and proud.  I said, "Good boy.  That's right.  Don't touch the dog's food. No! No!"

Why did he know those dishes were a No! No!?  Because he had been warned before--multiple times that touching the dog's dishes was wrong.   Even though the bowls had changed locations, the rules had not changed.  Touching these bowls was forbidden.

No! No!

There is a verse in Psalm 119:66 (NLT) that I love.  

 "I believe in your commands; 

now teach me good judgment and knowledge."

My little grandson has only been on this earth for 20-months and in those 20-months he has been on a quest for knowledge.  He had been told multiple times not to touch the dogs dishes and finally that truth was realized.  He came face to face with the desire of any little toddler boy--two bowls on the floor at his level and within his reach.  One bowl was filled with water and the other filled with little brown nuggets, yet the boy was able to exercise good judgment.

He listened to the training of someone he trusted.  His mother and grandmother had told him, don't touch and now he was using good judgment.

You may be wondering how in the world could this be applicable to your life.

Here's how...we all need good judgment and knowledge as we navigate through life.  God's Word is our guide.  Look at this prayer that the apostle Paul prayed over the Church at Philippi.

I pray that your love will overflow 

more and more, and that you will 

keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

For I want you to understand what really matters,

so that you may live pure and blameless lives

until the day of Christ’s return.

(Philippians 1:9-10 NLT)

I wish I could tell my 20-month old grandson that in 20-years, he'll know everything and he won't be tempted to ever 'put his hand in the dog's dishes' again, but alas, we are all works in progress.  

Look again at what Paul said,  Keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.  For I want you to understand what really matters.

Next time you are tempted to be disobedient, without saying a word, just shake your head No! No! as a reminder to you, and you alone, that the words you are about to say or type are not edifying, or that thing you are about to do is not expedient.  

No! No!