Today’s Reading: John 6:24-25 (NIV)
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
Memory Verse: 1 How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (Psalm 84:1-2 NIV)
Good day!
Our grandchildren have been grieving the loss of their family pets. Joshua, Emily and Andrew said goodbye to Buddy Boy, their ten-year-old, one-hundred pound German Shepherd, who passed away last week. Yesterday, our grandson Jett was very sad that his puppy, Duke, had died in an unfortunate accident. We love our pets so very much. They bring great exuberance and joy into our daily lives.
When Buddy was younger, before his legs became feeble and frail, he would run the full length of the yard where he played every day and chased cars that drove down their street. His bark and size was enough to scare off any stranger, and yet, Buddy was the most gentile animal I’ve ever met. I watched my grandbabies crawl over Buddy’s back, pull themselves up, while clinging to his fur coat. Sometimes, they would unintentionally pull out clumps of fur, as babies often do. Buddy never flinched or growled, or even acted like he was bothered by it. In fact, our Andrew had just started crawling after Christmas, and Buddy would purposefully place his body near the baby just in case Andrew toppled over. He made certain that baby would land on his body, cushioning the blow of his rolling directly onto the hard floor. Gentile, affectionate, and full of compassion for their masters, pets give us unconditional love. They instinctively trust the hand that feeds them.
Just like our pets know their master, we have the same capacity to know and love our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Father sent His Only Son to bridge the gap between God’s perfection and our human sinful state. It was a crevice way too deep and wide for human passage, apart from God’s amazing grace. For centuries, man has looked for ways to earn the right to win God’s favor. We’ve tried to build our own faulty bridges, somehow closing that gap that separates us from our Creator. We can’t work hard enough or long enough to fix the schism we have caused. Jesus Christ came to extend God’s amazing grace and love for all mankind; yes – he came for each and every one of us. Jesus demonstrated the Father’s great love by offering up His life so that we might experience perfect love like we’ve never known before. Christ protects us when we fall, and allows us the privilege to hold onto his nail-scarred hands, as we learn to stand by faith.
We can completely trust the hand that feeds us! The bread of life is offered for you and me today. We can learn a lot from the unconditional love of our pets. They daily demonstrate the unconditional love of our Savior and Lord. They faithfully keep us company; licking our tear-streaked faces, and loving us even when we are not very lovable. They wait patiently for us to come home at the end of a long day, and greet us with overwhelming exuberance and love. When the disciples asked their Master, “What must we do to do the work that God requires?” Jesus said, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
Will you choose today to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? He is waiting patiently for you to come home to Him. Christ offers you His bread of life and a loving relationship like you’ve never experienced before. Just reach out in simple trust and ask Jesus to come into your heart and be your Master today.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC -
___________________________
© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding
All rights reserved
Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.
No comments:
Post a Comment