“If we are honest, everybody’s worshipping something. And a person’s devotion becomes their life and their religion. And Paul is saying, if it is not Jesus Christ, you are just kissing toilet water. Don’t count on Religion to get you right with God or bring you joy. It won’t”
- Pastor Tony Walliser
“Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”
– Philippians 3:7
My human caught me again yesterday.
Now before you judge me too quickly… let me explain.
I have a perfectly good water bowl.
Fresh water.
Clean water.
The kind my human pours with love and a little muttering about how I already spilled the last bowl across half the kitchen floor.
But for reasons only a dog can understand… the toilet water sometimes looks… interesting.
Cool.
Convenient.
Right there in the bathroom where a fellow happens to wander while inspecting the house.
So I take a little sip.
And that’s usually the moment my human walks in.
“Buddy! You’ve got clean water in your bowl!”
Now, I don’t usually argue with my human… because he’s right.
There I am ignoring the good water… while drinking something that clearly wasn’t meant for me.
Which, if I’m honest, reminds me of something my human read out loud from the Bible the other day in Philippians.
That guy named Paul said something surprising. He listed all the things that once made him proud—his background, his accomplishments, the things he thought proved he was doing life right.
But then he said something that made my ears perk up.
He said all that stuff… compared to knowing Jesus… was basically worthless.
Now that’s a big statement.
Paul realized he had been drinking from the wrong bowl… been drinking toilet water.
He had been filling up on things that looked impressive but didn’t actually give life.
Then he discovered something better—knowing Christ.
Real water.
The kind that satisfies a soul.
And suddenly everything else lost its flavor.
You know… we dogs aren’t the only ones tempted by the wrong water.
People do it too.
Folks sip from approval, success, pride, reputation, money, and a thousand other shiny bowls sitting around the house of life.
But none of those satisfy like Jesus.
Paul figured that out.
Which is why he said he wanted to “gain Christ”… and know Him more than anything else.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head back to the kitchen.
My human just filled my bowl with the good stuff again.
And this time… I think I’ll drink from the right place.
Because once you’ve found best water… you don’t need the toilet anymore.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
