Dogs and Love

Sunday, August 26^th is National Dog Day, not to be confused with National Spoil Your Dog Day, which was August 10^th. Celebrating National Dog Day can be as easy as giving your four-legged friend a big hug and kiss (if they like that sort of affection). My little white Chihuahua, Bella, is not an affectionate dog. Try hugging or loving on her and she turns her head away and pushes with her front legs to distance herself from any such advances. Yet she’s my constant shadow and companion whether in the yard, the car or the easy-chair. She knows that nothing good happens at the Vet’s office but is not afraid of the lawnmower or the car-wash. She is perfectly happy in her fenced-in domain playing with her toys or trying to out-fox a tree rat, generally resulting in a race to the nearest fence-line of separation. (Don’t know what she’ll do if she ever catches one). I often find her watching the birds at their feeder and she’s always got her nose exploring the depths of a flower bloom or a bug. Then there are those times when she’s laying on her back in the grass - sunbathing. Of course, she’s always at the door to great me not knowing or caring what kind of day I’ve had, it makes no difference to her, she just wants to share some love. “Dogs have both an outer and inner beauty, an ability to love and a spirit that connects with humans in a way that cannot be replicated by any other living thing” - Colleen Paige. Dogs are forgiving and never hold a grudge – life is too short.

Ten Things You Should Never Do With Your Nose (Metaphorically Speaking) • Look down it at somebody (the sin of pride). • Stick it into someone else’s business (the sin of meddling). • Pick it (the sin of self-destructive behavior). • Get it out of joint (the sin of anger). • Cut it off to spite your face (the sin of bitterness). • Pay through it (the sin of materialism). • Not see beyond it (the sin of selfishness). • Be hard nosed (the sin of stubbornness). • Thumb it at someone (the sin of rudeness). • Turn it up at others (the sin of haughtiness). Rather, let’s keep our noses clean, keep our noses to the grindstone of God’s business, and keep our noses in the Bible!

[Leviticus 19:18; 1 John 4:7-8] The Bible has been promoting the same message for centuries now: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself . . . let us love one another.” We’re told that love is “what makes the world go ‘round.” An old song suggests, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” But just what is love? How would you define it? Much of modern music and media equates love with sexual gratification. Love is portrayed as primarily hormonal. Many people think of love as an emotion, a feeling, over which they have little or no control. They see love as something to “fall into” and, hence, to “fall out of” with the change of whim or the passing of time. For a healthful dose of reality, observe the Bible’s description: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). Yes, according to heaven’s wisdom, love is something I can control, something I can work on, something I can grow at! Love is more than, higher than, raging hormones or ever-changing emotions. Love, is a decision - a decision to put the well-being of another ahead of my own pursuits. Love, is a greeting without prejudice or bias opinion. Love, is thanking God for Jesus, life, hope, happiness and compeer dogs.

It Won't Take Forever

I’ve been a mechanic in one way or another all my life. Semi-retired I still find myself involved in repair projects in and around the facilities of the church where I manage and maintain most of what goes on there. As I mentioned last week, I recently troubleshot my ailing office computer and discovered the hard-drive had failed (never happened to me before). A computer “expert” couldn’t retrieve any data from the deceased, and with out-of-date back-ups, I’ve spent the past week rebuilding my electronic filing cabinet. Another week and I think I’ll be caught up again, including a more disciplined plan of regular back-ups in place. I’m also building more templates, preventing having to rebuild a bunch of forms, which takes forever. You’re never too old to learn from your mistakes.

Most of my life has been spent around automobiles, although I have wrenched on fighter jets and turbo-prop aircraft in the early 70’s. I’ve worked for some good people, partnered with some and have owned my own business (that for twenty years). I was involved in a paint and body shop in the mid and late 70’s and enjoyed the craftsmanship one had to put out every day. But that’s nothing compared to what some master custom shops do today. There are several reality TV shows that are great examples of what is available across the country for anything from full customization to total restoration of any automotive product. The show will start introducing someone, with a truckload of cash, dragging in a four-wheeler of some sort that belonged to their grandfather or somebody. They’ll want it to look showroom floor brand new, or they’ll want it fully customized to a point of unrecognizing it from its original configuration - and make it go fast! The rest of the TV hour-long program deals with the “build” and the finale of the “big reveal” to the customer. The rest of the show is reality, dealing with the problems that come with this sort of professional business. What we don’t get to see is how long it takes to do these jobs. If I remember correctly, it takes forever! And there are lots and lots of problems to be solved along the way. Caution! Fixing something, lipstick and mascara, and restoring something, are totally different things. One is a cover-up to make it look pretty and the other is a complete rebuild to original condition inside and out.

[Psalm 100] “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” In this world there are but two things we can count on: God is good and His love endures forever. Think about this: * When your life is out of control ...His love endures forever. * When sin has you trapped ...His love endures forever. * When illness gets you down ...His love endures forever. * When anger has a hold on you ...His love endures forever. * When friends let you down ...His love endures forever. *When you need forgiveness ...His love endures forever. * When there is no where to turn for help ...His love endures forever. God’s love is new and fresh and revitalizing ...every morning ...every noon ... every evening. Some lives are in worse shape than others. God, as a Master-Restorer, has the skill to recreate any person. He will solve problems and produce an amazingly restored and transformed life, and it won’t take forever, if we allow Him to do his work.

Good Tools Are Needed For Success

Nothing in this world lasts forever! New cars grow old * Clothes wear out * Roofs spring leaks * Windows crack * Appliances break-down * Batteries run down. And just about the time one thinks they have it all under control, Murphy’s Law will always trump the best hand, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” I’m old enough to have experienced Murphy’s Law over and over again, and to this very day it never fails to frustrate me to no end, because it always inflicts itself at inopportune times. This past Monday morning the hard-drive fail in my office computer. I’m self-taught in everything computer and spent the day troubleshooting the failure, refusing to accept the findings, and looking for a work-around solution, you know, like what we do after leaving the doctor’s office. Well, I’ve never had to use a repair person before, so I went mechanic shopping. I could change the hard-drive myself, but I don’t have the tools to recover the data on the old one. Yes, I have data back-ups, but it’s the programs that take forever to get built back up again. If I insist on being cheap I’m going to need more tools in my box.

[2 Corinthians 6:1-13; 10:4] “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” The apostle Paul referred to “tools” or “weapons” when writing to the Corinthians. He mentions “weapons of righteousness” and “weapons” of our warfare. The tools or weapons of Christianity are spiritual and figurative, yet with them we can help shape and build up those around us. Romans 6:13 tells us our body is an instrument, and we chose to use it for righteousness or wickedness. The Greek word translated “instrument” there means “tool or weapon.” What kind of tool or weapon are you? Are you an instrument God holds in his hand to do His will? Are you a battering ram? The ancients would use a log or some other hard object to break down a wall or door. Have we filled our hearts with the Word to a degree that we can, “...speaking the truth in love...” (Ephesians 4:15) break down barriers keeping the honest-hearted from God? Are you a crowbar? Crowbars pry objects apart. These are things we should separate from our thinking and lifestyle. Are we consistently trying to pull away from worldliness? (James 4:4). Are you a chisel? This is a tool that does meticulous, detailed work. Its blade carves or cuts hard materials. Do we have the tenacity and trust needed to use God’s Word and benefit from His providence to remake our lives into the image of Christ? (2 Corinthians 3:18). Are you a level? We live in not only a dishonest world but also a corrupt world. So many call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). Can people find in us a reliable standard of right and wrong, as we reflect the principles of God’s Word? Levels are used to determine whether something is true and as it ought to be. Are you a plane? The plane makes rough surfaces smooth by repetitiously moving it back and forth on the surface. All four gospels (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23) speak of John the immerser’s work as making ready the path of the Lord, making his paths straight. We are not forerunners of Jesus; we follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21). As we do follow Him, we are going to forge a path safe for others to follow (1 Corinthians 11:1). Are you a magnet? A magnet is an object that draws and holds another object disposed toward such attraction. Magnets can be used as tools themselves, but they are often made a part of other tools, such as hammers and screwdrivers. By living like Jesus, you will draw people to Him. Are you a good tool?

The Old Paths

I like the old paths: When moms were at home, dads were at work, brothers went into the army and sisters got married BEFORE having children! Crime did not pay, hard work did and people knew the difference. Moms could cook, dads would work, children would behave, husbands were loving, wives were supportive and children were polite. Women wore the jewelry and men wore the pants. Women looked like ladies and men looked like gentlemen and children looked decent. People loved the truth and hated a lie. People came to church for more than funerals. Hymns sounded Godly, sermons sounded helpful, rejoicing sounded normal and crying sounded sincere. Cursing was wicked, drinking was evil and divorce was unthinkable. The flag was honored, America was beautiful and God was welcome! We read the Bible in public, prayed in school and preached from house to house. To be called an American was worth dying for, to be a Christian was worth living for, to be called a traitor was a shame! Sex was a personal word, homosexual was an unheard of word and abortion was an illegal word. Off-colored jokes were only told among “dirty” men folk. Preachers preached because they had the VICTORY! Preachers preached the Bible, singers sang from the heart and sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED! A new birth meant a new life, salvation meant a changed life, and following Christ led to eternal life. Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God, being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord, being a Christian meant your would live for the Lord and being a sinner meant someone was praying for you. Laws were based on the Bible; homes read the Bible and churches taught the Bible. Preachers were more interested in new converts than new clothes and new cars. God was worshipped, Christ was exalted and the Holy Spirit was respected. Church is where you found Christians on the Lord’s Day, rather than in the garden, on the creek bank, on the golf course, or being entertained somewhere else. I still like the old paths best!

[Psalm 14:1 & 53:1] “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” There was a time when men of wisdom looked into heaven and counted the stars. They said, “There are two thousand, and only two thousand stars!” They lacked the tools that would have opened their eyes to the expanse of the universe and its thousands upon thousands of stars. There was an age when men of medicine believed that illness was caused by humor or fog or perhaps even witches. The world of the microbe and virus was not known nor seen and yet it existed. They lacked the tools to see beyond their limited vision. Men of learning would often bleed a patient to remove disease. They did not know the life that was in the blood and thousands died from the treatment they offered. Things they could not see would often kill. Doctors carried death from one patient to another simply because they did not wash their hands. They denied the finding of one doctor who said and proved that their actions were taking lives. Again, the psalmist said, “The fool has said in his heart ‘There is no God.’” As in the past we tend to deny what we cannot see. Believe what is later proven to be false. Look into heaven and count the stars again, examine the hidden world of the microbe. Is it possible you could be wrong - about God? “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest in your souls...’” (Jeremiah 6:16). God loves you!