Dogs love unconditionally. They do not care if you are gay or straight; or if you are rich or poor; or if you have issues; or if you are black or white or red or yellow or mixed; they do not care if you are liberal or conservative, or Democrat or Republican; they do not care if you are having a bad day; dogs love without condition.
Come to think about it, Christians should be like dogs.
I'll take the sheep tag that the scripture gives us...Dogs are never well spoken of in scripture...
ReplyDeleteWhen God created the world, he gave humans the role of caretaker. Instead of managing the earth, humanity has decided that it has a right to dominate and intimidate. Those who are in charge organize things so that they retain control of the masses. Resources are withheld from those in need. Children's lives are manipulated by selfish and sadistic adults. Good people are often persecuted for simply being good. This world Is only getting worse. Even those who want to practice unconditional love are become weary.
ReplyDeleteI miss my dog, she has been gone a long time now. I have two cats but, well, they aren't dogs are they?
ReplyDeleteThe dog in the picture is named Rudy (Notre Dame). he replaced our German Shepherd named Chopper. He is now 125 pounds. I know, dogs. We love them in a dog sense, but I always know they are dogs.
ReplyDeleteDogs rule!!!!!! Noel
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ReplyDeleteLove my two. They are such a blessing. Mia and Max. Too cute!
New Year's resolution--love like a dog. Great Post!!!
ReplyDeleteIf I had a dog, I'd naturally get very attached; I get warm and fuzzy over my yard squirrels.
ReplyDeleteOften, I read and hear people talk about their pets as their children or their babies. It's understandable that a dog and human get very close as dogs are easily tamed and are very loyal. But, I think, in the West, it's sometimes forgotten that they don't have human emotions, but only instinct. They are attached to humans by what their natural instincts allow. They are instinctively pack animals and need a leader of a pack, to whom they will be faithful to forever. What happens, is that many owners think this is 'love', the kind that only humans can give.
It's so understandable that today, with our narcissistic society, that people turn to the unconditional dog love of their pets instead of humans. People are becoming more and more pet-friendly and less human-friendly. We bunker down in our homes most of the time, behind our laptops and are slowly losing our hospitality talents. We'd rather speak through anonymity than face to face. We spend more hours 'talking' through devices than having human interaction. And because our society is becoming so selfish, no one is practicing "love" to their neighbor anymore, and technology is partly to blame. Satan would like to keep us all apart, never fellowship, so that we lose that gift of reaching out and giving our time to others.
Giving of our time (and I speak to myself) means not being stingy with our "me time". It means dropping our things to be somewhere else. It's not exciting; we can't constantly text and tell everybody what exciting things we are doing at the moment; it doesn't allow us to 'brag' on ourselves. Being in a shelter or some place where hungry souls are is 'boring'. It forces us to 'listen' to others and try to edify them, pray with them, rather than have people 'listen' to us yacking all the time.
Which brings us back to pets. When people lose their adaptability to reach out to others, they spend their "me time" with their pets, because the pets replace the human interaction, and pets don't judge. They don't edify with the gospel, or criticize or condemn us. They just tell us we're wonderful all the time.
Technology keeping us away from each other, and when the need arises for some love, pets will fill the void. This is just my observation, and I hope I don't offend anyone. I hope I'm wrong.
Dear Pastor Rick,
ReplyDeleteThank-You for this dog blog and I Praise Jesus for your inspirational pen written from your heart. If it is okay with you, I would like to address those anonymous hearts out there who may be offended by this blog.
2012 has a year of great testing and tribulation for me. I have clung to Jesus and His Holy Words for comfort, protection, and healing in my life, for His ways are far better than the ways of any man. He has delievered me out of the church religious system and has given me a new heart with a desire to follow Him instead of man's relgious, political, and economic systems....and herein lies the test. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 states "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderes, prolifigates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people. For among them are those who make their way into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses, who will listen to anybody and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth."
It grieves me to no end that these traits now describe the modern church system who worships itself rather than caring about souls. I have been so terribly wounded by "church people" that I have had to leave to regain my health, both phsyical and spiritual. For all of the "Jesus speak",the "Jesus junk,"the "christian conferences attended" and the weekly religious observance attended, I have experienced all of those traits listed above in the church system by people who claim to love Jesus and be His sheep. How can this be? How can those who profess the very faith of Jesus Christ be be the most hateful, controlling, and manipulative people while even proclaiming the rest of the world is lost. I have personally seen no difference between a modern Christian and the rest of the secular world in my area....the Christians act and live the same as the secular world and are proud of it! So where are the true called out ones, the true followers of Jesus Christ....where are they because my heart bleeds for Godly fellowship with true believers who you can trust.
The American church is ripe with narcissim who in and of itself desires the worship of man, rather than teaching the Word of God. I have to tell you, if you are not a Republican, do not hate homosexuals, love loud banging music, sit and gossip with the ladies about this one and that one in church and the community, do not attend Bible studies where they never crack open their Bibles, mock the other churches because they are not as "deep" (code word for Gnostic) as we are, testimony time being a aberant display of bragging and boasting of self rather than the glorious wonders of God...etc., etc., etc.
Where is Jesus in our religious system.....My point...the modern Christina is in love with himself rather than our LORD Jesus Christ and we fill our bellies first rather than caring for others and their lost souls.
After my surgery this summer and two cancer alarms,as God is my witness, my dog comforted me more than anyone who calls themself a Christan. He listened to me as I cried while I was frightened over the prosept of having a deadly disease....my dog listened to me read my Bible and sing praise th our Glorious King, and he never left my side during all of this. Christians do not want to be bothered with people like me who are hurting and struggling, but would rather throw people like me a bone and call it a day so they can get their chruch buildings cleaned, mow the lot lawn, and do church busywork thinking they are serving Jesus when they are only serving themselves....we listen to their boasting about all of their wonderful works....for Jesus. Really?
Beware of the sheep in wolves clothing.
Rick, great picture of Rudy! I wonder what Rudy would say if the Lord opened his mouth to speak like he did with the mule of Balaam? Perhaps being the dog of a minister he might say….
ReplyDeleteLook at my ears and how attentive they are… “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
Consider how intently I am focused on that which is above me… “set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”
Notice my posture and how I am sitting and thus at rest… “For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors.”
Yep, that picture kind of says it all. Rudy must be a preacher’s dog who no doubt has heard the gospel more than a few times.
Rick, great picture of Rudy! I wonder what Rudy would say if the Lord opened his mouth to speak like he did with the mule of Balaam? Perhaps being the dog of a minister he might say….
ReplyDeleteLook at my ears and how attentive they are… “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
Consider how intently I am focused on that which is above me… “set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”
Notice my posture and how I am sitting and thus at rest… “For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors.”
Yep, that picture says it all. Rudy must be a preacher’s dog who no doubt has heard the gospel more than a few times.
Thanks, Loddie. Rudy is now 125 pounds. I love my dogs, but I always know they are dogs and not people, however sometimes I wish people acted like dogs!
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