I was watching my cat the other day as she was on a ledge next to a bucket of water. Although her cat BOWLS were full of water, she wanted to get a drink from that big BUCKET of water. She would stick her paw down in the water and then lick her paw. Then she would stick her head just a tiny bit over the edge of the bucket but the water wasn’t deep enough to get a drink.  She would bend over a little further each time but wasn’t able to get her tongue close to the water in the bucket without having the instinct that she would lose her balance and fall in.

It reminded me of temptations in everyday life.  God gives us “water in our bowls”.  He has provided all we need.  Then we see something that tempts us.  Something in the big BUCKET.  We know we already have enough water in our bowl but there is a bigger amount of water in the bucket than what is in our bowls.  We see the bigger things that tempt us.  We want more.  More money, power, food, attention, or things.  The water in the bucket looks so much better than the water in the bowl.

The Bible says that anything we pursue more than a relationship with the Lord becomes an idol.  Colossians 3:5 – Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:  sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

It doesn’t have to be a golden calf.  It can be the pursuit of money, power, food, attention or physical things.  If it is more important than God, it becomes an idol.  And God does NOT like to be second to anything.  Exodus 20:3 – you shall have no other gods before me.

Look around………..we are very blessed.  We have all we need and more.  God gives us all we need in our bowls.  Just be careful not to stick your head too far down in the bucket or you may just fall in and not be able to get out.