A young man who had recently become a Christian was concerned because he knew of many people who had fallen away from the faith. He didn’t want to be like them, so he paid a visit to a man who was still passionate about his faith in Jesus decades after he first accepted Christ. The young man asked the older one why he was able to remain so devoted to Christ while others had grown cold in their faith.

The mature Christian told this story. “One day my dog started chasing after a rabbit. Some other dogs saw my dog running, so they started running with him. After a while however, the other dogs gave up the chase. Only my dog kept running after the rabbit.”

The young man answered, “I don’t understand how this story relates to living for Christ.”

The older man explained, “My dog was the only one who had actually seen the rabbit. The other dogs didn’t really know what they were chasing after.”

So it is with some people who think they are following Christ. They have never actually experienced him; they are simply following after other people, and they soon drop out of the race.

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”—1 John 1:3.