Posts Tagged: Isaiah 42:8

“On Not Being the Alpha Dog”

On June 6, 2020 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

Our little dog Laylah likes to jump up in my seat at the dining room table. I don’t know why. Does she just like the scent of me? I can’t imagine that! But then, I’m not a dog. Or does she aspire to be the alpha dog, and thinks that she can be the alpha dog simply by sitting in my seat? Seven-and-a-half pounds of four-footed ambition!

I frequently have to tell her to vacate my seat. Sometimes she does so quickly, but sometimes I have to use the Voice of Authority.

The serpent whispered, when tempting Adam and Eve, “You will be like God . . . .” (Genesis 3:5) This is often called “the first temptation.” I suspect that it may be the only temptation. Every other temptation is simply a variation on that theme.

But God says, “I, I alone, am God, and my glory I will not give to another.” (Isaiah 42:8)

So, I have to choose every moment between living in Genesis 3:5 and Isaiah 42:8. And if I am trying to sit in the place of God, I need to vacate. Sometimes, I do this quickly and willingly. Sometimes, God has to use the Voice of Authority. I need to always remember: I am not the alpha dog.

Now, Laylah is lying in her little bed at my feet, looking up at me every now and then. Perhaps you and I should curl up at God’s feet today. Perhaps that is a much more comfortable place to be anyway.

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