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February 22, 2010 - My Best Friend

Anyone who has ever spent time with Louise and me knows that we love dogs.  Ever since we were married, dogs have been a part of our family.  There is something special about a dog, especially Labradors.  Recently, I saw a bumper sticker that read, “Dear Lord, please help me to be the person my dog thinks I am.” 

Mart De Haan developed a pamphlet about, “Man’s Best Friend.”  In this writing Mart mentions a survey that indicates over 43 million US households own dogs.  Why is it that we love dogs so much?

Mr. De Haan suggests the following thoughts about this question:

• Dogs love us even when others don’t.
• Dogs welcome us home without asking why we are late.
• Dogs are more forgiving than people.
• Dogs enjoy being close to us even when we aren’t feeling good about ourselves.

In a small way a dog mimics some of the attributes our loving God provides.  Most dogs provide absolute love to their masters. God sees and understands what is wrong with us and still provides unconditional love.  When even our best friends see our physical flaws, personality disorders, and emotional limitations they sometimes reject us, but God always offers us His compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance.  The Apostle Paul realized this when he wrote:

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:31-39 (NIV)

Dogs provide many needs.  They can help us with our loneliness, take attention off ourselves, help prevent stress-related diseases, provide meaningful service, retrieve our newspapers and birds, and comfort those with pain.  Still they can’t begin to provide the support we really need. Only God can provide what mankind needs.  He is the ultimate Healer, Comforter, Deliverer, Redeemer, and Equipper.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”" Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

There are many stories about dogs that have saved the lives of others.  But there is only One person who demonstrates His life-changing grace even to the unlovely - that is God.  "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 (NIV)

After living with our dogs for a long time some of us begin to even look like our dogs or at least they may take on some of our traits.  We cannot totally enter into their hearts or them into ours.  Once again, God’s word tells us, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

When we invite Jesus into our lives we become a new person.  The Holy Spirit resides in us and helps change us into the likeness of Christ.

Don’t give up on Fido.  And yet, as much as we love them and they us, no one can love us like our Lord.