Dog versus Man (Part 1 of 5)

Can your devotion to your Master match a dog’s devotion to its master?

Some years ago, I wrote an article about a dog's adoration for its master as an example of what our worship of God should be.

Recently we adopted the most adorable pitch-black Africanis puppy, our first dog in a long time. Ogies is now 16 months old, and once again, she makes me intensely aware of the kind of worship we should have in our hearts toward the Lord. Those who have and know dogs will have firsthand experience of what I'm talking about. 

While I give examples of how Ogies adore me as her master, please see how you can apply those in your worship to the Lord.

When we adopted Ogies, we were told she was found at the rubbish dump. She was with a tramp and faced the bleak future of living off whatever food her master found at the dump, and spending her years living a boring, dump-stricken life. When we came into her life, the receptionist at the vet, who prepared her for adoption, said she had landed on her feet and struck gold. She did, because she walked into a life of provision, joy, intimacy, and lots of excitement and activity. Where she would have just existed, fed half-rotten, rejected food and suffered illnesses like the skin condition she had when we inherited her, she now has an abundant life, eats good food, and her coat is in excellent condition, shining like a bottle.

 In John 10:10, Jesus said, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. You have a choice: either to exist only, living off the scraps that life outside of Christ offers you, or to live life abundantly. Living off the scraps doesn't only apply to unbelievers. Anyone who chooses to go through the motions expected of them by religion and not have a living relationship with Jesus is missing out on the abundant life that Jesus offers.

Among others, this abundant life has nine specific qualities. I’ll discuss two in each part of this series.

1. Love is in abundance. Because we love Ogies, she has nothing to fear. She knows it, and therefore relaxes in our presence – more about this in later posts. The Lord loves you, but unless you realise it and bask in His love, trusting Him and casting your cares on Him, rather than fending for yourself and stressing about the things the enemy throws at you, you will not experience the abundance He offers.
2. Joy is a direct result of this love. Because Ogies knows she is loved, since she can see it in our actions, she is happy. The tail gets lots of exercise. How does she know she is loved? She looks at what we do. If we are more aware of what the Lord does for us than of what life throws at us, we will be happier. (Do not worry - Matthew 6:25-34) Looking at our circumstances, feelings, and challenges makes us miserable, but rejoicing in the Lord’s faithfulness makes us forget about ourselves.

What do I mean by saying that being religious makes you miss out on the abundant life Jesus has for you?

Let's look at the example Ogies shows us.

Ogies takes what she wants, and over the next number of messages, we'll look into that.

All dogs love their masters, but not all masters love their dogs. Some dogs only exist and do not enjoy life because they are left outside to make do, and are fed, and that's it.

When Ogies was a puppy, I started to train her to fetch a ball and bring it back to me. She loves doing it, like most dogs who do it, but one secret she has learnt is that she must return it to the thrower in the way expected. She has her own personality and sometimes tries other ways of doing it, i.e. the way she wants it done, which I allow at times because it falls within my plan, but she mostly does it the way we want it.

 The Lord has certain ways in which He wants things done, and He has spelt them out clearly in His Word. If we want His abundant life, we ought to do things exactly as He directed in the Bible. Personally, I don't believe the Bible is meant for endless Bible studies, but for hearing what the Lord wants to tell you and getting to know His ways, so we can obey and apply that knowledge to everyday life. The Lord allows freedom for individual personalities, but His ultimate purpose is to have His plan fulfilled, and for that He needs us to be obedient and disciplined.

To be continued

Bless and don’t Curse (Part 3)

Please read parts one and two to get the context.

Jesus said in John 13:35: “By this all people will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another”. When I’m in the company of certain people calling themselves Christians, I wonder whether Jesus didn’t make a mistake, because based on some Christians' conversations, He should have said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have judgment for one another”. This is said light-heartedly, but what is your experience with yourself? Which of the two is the criterion you live by? I have to check myself constantly.

I conclude with a passage that refers to those who persecute us, but it can be applied to any relationship we're involved in. Romans 12:14: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

I leave James 3:3-12 with you: When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Bless and don't Curse (Part 2)

Please read part one to get the context.

As you read, have you been thinking about our introductory passage: The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit? Your words can kill, and they can give life. Your words can harm people's reputation, close doors for them, damage their relationships, etc. Those are the fruit mentioned, and what you sow, you will reap.

What if what is said is the truth, you might say? Other people’s lives and activities are none of your business. Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Ask yourself, do I want others to share the kind of gossip about me that I am about to share about this person? Do I want others to hear about me, the kind of gossip I am about to listen to right now? No one is in a position to judge, criticise, or discuss other people's lives or activities because we all have our own sins to deal with. When... no... IF we manage to get the plank, and the next one, and the next one, to the power of a million, out of our own eye, then only can we discuss the speck in our neighbour's eye.

 

And, if you are so self-righteous that you think you have no sin, I want to remind you of 1 John 1:8: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If you honestly search your heart, you will find many planks.

You see, the Bible is watertight. It has the answers to everything.

In what areas do we generally curse people? Think of your words when you’re driving, and another driver annoys you, or, for that matter, is directed towards anybody who annoys you, your opinions about the government, family members, colleagues, customers, spouses, and those we consider lower than ourselves. I continuously need to confess the sins of my tongue. Do you realise the curses you speak? Do you admit those to be sinful? Do you confess them?

My concern is that when things are tough, we curse people, circumstances, and ourselves instead of blessing them, and then we bring a curse over ourselves. But when we bless in such circumstances, we create a lifeline for ourselves. A couple of days ago, I experienced a practical example of the positive side of this. I always joke that if there is one thing that will cause me to lose my salvation, it would be other drivers and my reaction to their behaviour. In front of me was a slow driver who slowly started to annoy me. I don’t think I was tailgating, but I stayed close enough to be able to pass quickly the moment I got a gap. He probably experienced my behaviour as tailgating. The opportunity to pass him came when a double lane was added to improve traffic flow. Now, you ought to remember that by then, this guy has gathered for himself quite a following in the form of impatient drivers behind me. He, however, saw the opportunity to annoy this impatient tailgater behind him even more by driving next to an equally slow driver in the slow lane, making it impossible to pass him. This is where I passed the test. I knew he was watching me in the rearview mirror and was probably waiting for the middle finger, which I have never used before, but the Lord’s grace took over, and I waved at him, blowing him a kiss. That blessing worked, for he accelerated past the slower vehicle and gave way. As I passed him and looked at him, he was laughing. Had I cursed him by means of the middle finger, I would probably still be driving behind him 😊. 

To be continued

Bless and don’t Curse (Part 1)

We, as believers, must watch our tongues. We read in Proverbs 18:21: The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. While you're reading on, keep this passage in mind, and when you speak, also keep it in mind.

When we converse with friends, what topics do we discuss? Are the topics science, art, or the like? In my experience, the conversations are often about other people, aren't they?

When people talk about other people, do they praise their good qualities? In my experience, however, this is not the case. They often gossip, don't they?

We read in James 3: 9 & 10: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

How do we curse human beings? When we talk negatively about them, we permit evil forces to harm them. How do we do that? I once asked the Lord how fortune-telling works, because Satan is not all-knowing, and the Lord won't involve Himself with it. He told me that the fortune teller can tell the client anything, whether good or bad, and if the client believes it, Satan has the mandate to make it manifest.

The same principle applies to gossip or talking about others. If we say negative things about people, we give Satan the mandate to harm the person we're talking about. We, therefore, curse them. The Greek word used for curse in this context means speaking doom over them. If we speak good things about a person, on the other hand, we give the Lord the mandate to affect them positively, and we therefore bless them.

The above was the spiritual side of it.

What is the realistic and practical outcome of gossip? When someone tells you something about someone you've never met, what happens? You already know something about the person, don't you, even though you've never met them? If you then see the person, without being introduced to them yet, what do you think of them? Isn't it what you've heard of them? Do you think that this knowledge will affect your opinion of them or that it might affect your relationship with them? You have this idea of a person you have not even met, and it sometimes makes you reluctant to meet them, doesn't it? Have you ever looked at someone's tattoos or weird hairstyle or hair colour and thought they're weird, but when you met them, they're the most wonderful people? The same applies to gossip. Isn't it unfair? Don't we miss so much when we get involved with it? Gossip is evil - both speaking it and listening to it.

James used the following comparison in James 3:5 to 6: Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Have you ever seen a forest fire? We experienced several wildfires while we lived in a town in the mountains. They are not easily stopped. They keep on running relentlessly, devouring everything in their way. James compared gossip to such a fire.

A pastor once called in a member of his congregation who gossiped about him and gave them some bird feathers, asking them to place the feathers in several strategic places in town. When the person returned after having completed the task, the pastor asked them to collect the feathers again. The person exclaimed that the wind would have blown all the feathers away by then. "Precisely," the pastor said, "so it is with gossip, you cannot stop the words from spreading and can never get them back."

To be continued