Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart- they do no wrong but follow His ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn you righteous laws. I will obey Your decrees. Psalm 119: 1-8
There is a Native American legend that explains why dogs are man’s best friend. The legend goes like this: Long ago when man and animals could talk to each other and get along with each other there was one animal that got along with man better than the others. The Great Creator decided to put a great wall between the man and all animals. None of the animals seemed to care about the pending wall, except the dog. As the wall was growing higher and higher and the separation greater and greater, the dog escaped, ran and leaped over the wall so he could always be by the man’s side. This is why dogs are man’s best friend.
The Gosselin’s are not dog people…at least we used to not be dog people. Cats are so much easier to take care of. Most of our cats have been loving and generally wanted some human interaction, but the fateful day came when Stephen, our youngest, brought home a puppy and told us her name was Sadie. He was taking her to college with him. Well, we put a stop to that fast. No poor dog is going to live cooped up in an apartment all day while he went to class.
So, we became the proud owners of a dog with all the responsibility of raising “another child.” Sadie is totally and completely sold out to us. She acts like I have been gone for a month when I step out to get the mail. When we come home from work, she is eustatic. She is obedient. She wants to please us as much as she can. She is saddened if we raise our voice at her or ignore her for any reason. She tries to please us in every way.
Now let’s talk about our cats. They are loyal to a degree. They “love” us to a degree. They show us a lot of attention when they want something. Overall, they coexist with us and are good pets.
The old saying is that we should love God as much as our dog loves us. Do we love God that much? We were born with a training manual. It is called the Bible. We know what we must do to please our Master, God. We know what is right and we know what is wrong.
Are we more like our cat or our dog when it comes to a quiet time? Do we miss Him when we skip it or do we miss Him to an extent?
We could list every aspect of our Christian walk, Sunday School and church attendance, tithing, telling our friends about Him etc. and ask, “Do we love His word, do we love His church, do we love Him as much as our cat or our dog?”
Now don’t get me wrong. A cat’s love is ok, but it wanes greatly when compared to a dog. Remember what Jesus said, when He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, love Me as much as your dog loves you.
Pastor Greg