In recent weeks I have heard the following expression several times: “Find a job that you like and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Although some people swear that work is a curse, it was God’s intention that mankind work; it is not God’s punishment for our disobedience. I am very thankful to be able to proclaim the gospel of Christ and to minister to people of all ages and walks of life. From a young age (probably seven or eight, when I began selling Red Cross calendars in my neighbourhood), I have enjoyed being with people. Have you seen pictures of people with their dogs and have you noticed that sometimes the owner resembles his or her dog? Very interesting!
In Max Lucado’s book entitled “Every Day Deserves a Chance” he includes this humourous account: “Excerpts from the diary of a dog: 8:00 a.m. Oh boy, dog food – my favorite. 9:30 a.m.: Oh boy, a car ride – my favorite. 9:40 a.m. Oh boy, a walk – my favorite … 8:30 p.m. Oh boy, sleeping in my master’s bed – my favorite.
Excerpts from the diary of a cat: Day 283 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat while I’m forced to eat dry cereal. I’m sustained by the hope of escape and the mild satisfaction I derive from ruining a few pieces of furniture.” Two animals and two very different perspectives on life!
The Bible has a lot to say about gratitude. One of the stories in the gospels that reveals Christ’s compassion is the story of ten lepers who kept their distance from Jesus, but cried out to Him to have mercy on them (Luke 17:11-13). After Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests, they started going and realized that they had been cleansed. You would think that they would have hurried to where Jesus was, to thank Him for healing them. It turned out that only one person came to Jesus to thank Him, and that man was a Samaritan, from a people group that was shunned by the Jews. By God’s grace, let us be grateful for all that God has done, is doing and will do!
Scripture for the weekend: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”Ephesians 2:4-5 (NASB)