.....in

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:15-16

As I reflect back on my childhood, I recall a day my mother and I came home from church to find a stray cat waiting at the door. The cat was nice and cuddly and the meow seemed to make me weak. I begged my mother to let me keep the cat, but she refused. Noticing that I was disappointed, she wrapped her arms around me and said, "Son, never let any ol' thing or anyone come into your house. Just because the cat is cute does not mean that this is a good cat, so we have to be careful of who/what we let in." 

Many of us can relate to the above story in a variety of ways. There were people that we came across and let them in on the first date, only to have our hearts broken later. We came across people that we shared our most intimate thoughts with the first night we met them, only to have them betray us after a short period of time.

Oftentimes, in our attempt to obey God's command to love people, we often let the wrong people get too close to us. Many of us have let people in because of their physical appearance, financial status, corporate position, fame or other "sheep's clothing" that captured our attention. 

Like Jesus was prayerful about His small circle of 12 disciples, He calls us to be careful who we let in. 

- timothy jackson, jr.