A dog is not a person. We have a puppy called Blaze, so I know this. Blaze is a dog. However, he is a bit like a teenager at this point in his training.

The problem is that, unlike a person, he does not have a moral conscience. So I can’t reason with him. On the other hand, like a person, he does what he does out of his nature—as a dog. People do what they do out of their nature as sinners.

When Blaze chews something he shouldn’t (he’s in the chewing stage), he doesn’t understand that what he did was wrong. If I get mad at him, he thinks it’s a game and wants to play. To him, the rules of the house are not right and wrong, good or bad. For him, it’s all about the reward. Attention (walks) and treats (bacon). That’s pretty much it. He wants to please his master.

We, on the other hand, are much more complicated. We are sinners, but we are sinners saved by grace. We know the law of God. We have a moral conscience. We are culpable for our decisions as we choose to obey or disobey. As believers, we have God’s Word, full of commands and instructions, both New Testament and Old. Keeping God’s Word is for our benefit and God’s glory. Obedience to God is the path of greatest joy and fulfillment in our relationship with God.

Sometimes, Blaze is confused. He doesn’t know what I require. That’s not his fault. He is a dog. I, on the other hand, know what is best for Blaze.

This is where it all breaks down. I am not a god. I am not a dog. But I am, in fact, made in God’s image. Therefore, I am more akin to God than I am to Blaze. I’m not only made in God’s image, as a believer I’m in training. Training in love, forgiveness, and in grace. It takes a lifetime to grow in grace.

But we are sometimes confused, as well. We sometimes get confused by the sheer magnitude of God’s commands. No, we don’t have to keep the Laws of Moses to be in right standing with God. Still, the Old Testament is full of true commands for ethical living. Christ gave commands. The Holy Spirit gave commands through the Apostles. We will spend a lifetime pouring over the Scriptures, seeking to know the things that please God.

And there it is: Pleasing God. Keep it simple. “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Cor. 5:9). Our desire is to please our Master.

Sure, we please God by keeping His commandments. But I suggest we focus on two simple things: love and faith.

Love God.

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 22:37-40).

Love God and love others.

Live by faith.

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6). We receive Christ by faith and, therefore, are to live by faith. We depend on Him, not on ourselves.

Blaze is a dog. I am not God. But there sure are a lot of lessons about God in training a dog.