| Things to Remember An Old Red Dog |
| The Wildwood Valley church parking lot has become a handy place for people to discard their animals. Animals find their way to our house since we live next door to the church building. We have found cats, dogs, puppies, and even a parakeet. I am constantly telling my Sue and Caleb, "don't feed those stray animals!" If you feed them just once, then they are yours. You cannot run them off even if you try. Yet, I always give in. I feel compassion for those poor unwanted animals. Thus, we feed them and then try to find them a home. I can remember on one occasion an old red dog showed up at our house. We took care of "Old Red" until we could find someone to take him. All "Old Red" wanted was food, water, and kindness. We gave him all three and he was a happy dog. I have often told Sue that I expected any day to find that a person had been dropped off at our house. Believe this or not, there are almost as many unwanted people as there are animals. People are treated as bad or worse than an old stray dog or cat. Jesus found this to be true while He was on earth. The Scripture says, "And seeing the multitude, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) The word which is used for "felt compassion" is a strong word for pity. It describes the compassion which moves a man to the deepest depths of his being. Therefore, Jesus, moved with compassion, reached out to those (many unwanted) people and satisfied their basic needs. He met their physical needs, but He also met their emotional needs by showing them love and by treating them with kindness. Why did huge crowds of people follow Jesus? When He fed them and showed them kindness, they were a little bit like that old red dog, He couldn't get rid of them. Thus, the multitudes followed Him. The Church is bewildered by the fact that we are not reaching people. We are puzzled because "we have the truth," but are attending churches that are of a different persuasion. Beloved, wake up and smell the coffee and realize that people first flocked to Jesus not because of His message. They came to Him because He met their physical and emotional needs. If we desire people to fill our church buildings, then we must do as Jesus did. We must have compassion for those of our generation that are "distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd." If we will treat people as Jesus did, we will never have to worry about an empty church building. |
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| "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathy with our weaknesses" (Hebrews 4:15) |
| Many thanks for this beautiful background to http:www.geocities.com/wellesley/Gazebo/4989/D10.html |
| Delisa Gordon Logan, Webmaster Member of International Association of Web Masters and Designers Member of Wildwood Valley church of Christ |
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