A Lesson From A Goat
(by: Pastor James Scarborough, Donalsonville Assembly of God)

The other day someone told me that he came home and found that his goat had gotten out of the pasture and into the yard. When he drove up, the goat took off and tried to jump the fence to get back where he was supposed to be; he did not quite make it and fell. I was not there to see the scene first-hand, but what I picture in my mind is somewhat of a sight!

Even an old goat knows when he is someplace that he should not be, doing things that he should not do. But in this case, he thought he could get away with it because his owner was not around. He got caught by surprise! How often are we just like that goat? We convince ourselves we can get away with something that we have no business toying with; sometimes we seem to escape unnoticed- -or so we think. Yet deep down inside, we know that God sees and knows all. There is no escaping His watchful eye.

This brings to mind a song we used to sing in Sunday school when I was a small child. The song warns the little feet to watch where they go, and the little hands to watch what they do, and the little eyes to watch what they see, and the little tongue to be careful what it says. Why? Because there's a Father up above, looking down in tender love.

God, in His tender love, does not keep a watchful eye upon us to spoil all of our fun, but He watches us because He desires that we walk the path that honors Him and will ultimately lead us into His presence for all eternity.

The psalmist David gained an appreciation for the watchfulness of God over him as he indicated in Psalm 141:3-4: "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies" (NIV). Of the things that he asked God to watch over, none was more important than his lips. We would all do well to pay careful attention to these words, for too often we hurt others through words that we speak--words filled with anger, bitterness and arrogance. James 1:19 provides excellent guidance to help us overcome the temptation to slaughter others with our speech: "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

What are you trying to hide from God? If you think you can escape His watchful eye, you are dead wrong. Just like that goat, you might think you have a fail-proof escape route, but when you try to use it, you will find that it will not work out the way you expect it to. Remember that the all seeing eyes of God are focused on you all the time, so let His tender love guide all your actions down His path of righteousness.