Dog versus Man (Part one)

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