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Cornbread and Marmaduke
By Doug Gooch

    One of the greatest lessons I have learned in the past decade is that there is no limit to what the Lord and I can do together.  It is not God’s will that we stay confined. 

“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” 
                                                                            Jer. 29:11 

It is not His plan for you and I to just get by.  Small thinking limits us and it limits God’s ability to work in us. 

“How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!  Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.”
                                                                            Ps 78:40-41

     When we limit God it grieves Him.  Why?  It pleases Him to bless us.  When we limit Him and He doesn’t get to bless us, He is grieved.  The word “limited” as it is used here means to set boundaries, and that’s what grieves God.  I don’t know about you, but there have been times when I thought that there couldn’t possibly be anything else I needed from God.  But then, I turn around and there sat something else.  I told God one time, “Lord, when I look around to see all that you’ve done for me, I get a little embarrassed.  If you keep this up, people are going to wonder what’s going on.” And He said, “That’s my plan.” Listen folks, if you and I are going to be involved in God’s plan, we’d better cut down the boundaries.  We need to get out of our limited and get over into His unlimited.  We better get ready for the over flow.  God is trying to get us out of the land of not enough, but He’s got some kids who have been deceived into thinking that humility means being broke, busted and disgusted. 

     In order for us to move over into God’s way of thinking and doing, we are going to have to CHANGE some things.  If you’re not willing to CHANGE, then you’re not ready to receive what God wants for you. 

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
                                                                              Rom. 12:2

     You see, God doesn’t just tells us to change, he shows us how to, “By the renewing of your mind.”  Our soul is the control center of our life.  In it is the mind, will and emotions.  You have heard that we are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body.  Our re-born spirit man is trying to get us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Our flesh man is used to getting his own way.  The key is the soul man.  Unfortunately, he has been serving our flesh for a long time.  That’s why we are told to “Renew the mind.”  We have to take out the old software and re-program our mind with God’s Word.  When that happens, your spoiled uncontrolled flesh man will have no choice but to follow what the Holy Ghost and your spirit man are telling it.  I like how the Amplified reads:

“Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideas and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
                                                       Romans 12:2 (Amplified)

      If you don't change it is because you refuse to renew your mind.  Now, renewing the mind is not just a gathering of new information.  That's a part of it. The evidence of a renewed mind is change.  You can show up to church and be glad because you got a hold of some new information.  But, if you fail to implement that information so it can cause change in your life, you haven't received it all. 

          “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” 
                                                                                           Col 3:9-10

     When you begin the process of change, you will begin to recognize that some of that old stuff that you thought was ok will no longer be attractive to you.  Likewise, some of the things that you thought were acceptable before will become weights that you can’t get rid of fast enough. 

     Several years ago, I was invited to play basketball after work with a few co-workers.  The man whose house we were to play at was named Cornbread.  We gave him that name because of his country like features.  I’m being gentle.  Actually, he would have made Uncle Jed look like a city slicker. 
     After the game, I was invited by Cornbread to stay for a soda.  He opened the sliding door to his house and immediately, I was confronted by the biggest dog I had ever seen.  Frozen in my tracks, the Great Dane jumped up landing its massive front paws on my shoulders.  Pinned against the wall, I could only imagine what would happen next as I looked up into the beasts huge head (which was easily looking down at mine).  A couple of wet licks on my face and he was gone. 
     As I wiped the slobber off my face, I became instantly aware of a fowl smell overwhelming the room.  A quick look down at my side and I found the source.  I’ve been around a lot of dogs in my life.  As a kid, I remember that my mom was on the Saint Bernard rescue.  We always had animals that people didn’t want anymore.  I’ve picked up my share of dog piles.  I didn’t use a little whiskbroom and a dustpan.  No sir!  I used a metal rake and a shovel.  You don’t use a napkin for those jobs.  You use a three-ply hefty man trash bag.  Those dogs were big.
     But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw in Cornbread’s living room.  It was the biggest dog pile I had ever seen.  Most dogs would have the look of guilt on their face for messing in the house.  Marmaduke was proud of his accomplishment.  I said, “Cornbread, your dog messed in the house.”  He said, “Oh, that’s nothing, you should see behind the couch.”  He was right, that was nothing.  Four or five of the biggest dog piles in the world lay behind the couch.  I said, “Cornbread, doesn’t that bother you?”  “It used to.”  He said, “But you get used to it.” 

I’m telling you, it is the enemies plan to keep you comfortably limited.  That’s why God wants us to spend time in the Word.  Renewing our mind is not an option.  God is telling us, “Be ye transformed!”