Puppy Training

 

I am sharing a story today that I wrote many years ago in 1991. I think it applies to the days we live in right now even more than it did thirty years ago. The Lord put it upon my heart to share it today.......

 I was at a quiet field one Saturday morning and there happened to be a dog show going on at the time.

I stayed to watch and was quite impressed by the beautiful animals that were being shown that day.

Part of the program was a competition to show off the dog's abilities in obeying the commands of their masters.

The pups were adorable as they came frolicking and tumbling onto the field.

They were not very mature and most had a difficult time responding to their master's wishes.

Especially adorable were the children trying to get their own puppies to sit, rollover, beg, and follow.

At one point, once the pup was able to sit still and listen they were offered temptations to get them to ignore their master's command to sit still such as a yummy treat placed away in front of them or a judge whistling for them to come and leave their owners side.

The older dogs were enticed to run away when poppers went off around them as they sat at their master's feet.

It was all quite entertaining and the dogs were trying their best to listen to their owners wishes, but all in all,  most of the contestants weren't having the best of luck getting their precious pups in line.

At one point an older gentleman and his beautiful older dog came onto the field.

He asked his dog to sit and stay still in a certain spot.

He then removed his dog's leash and reminded her to stay put as he walked across the large field and disappeared behind a building out of his dog's sight.

The dog never took it's eyes off that building.

Treats were offered to her but she didn't flinch an eye to look at them....just kept her eyes on that building.

Small fire poppers went off, one could sense a bit of ruffle in her fur, but her eyes remained focused on the building where she had last seen her master.

Other tactics were taken to get her attention off her master, but it was to no avail, she kept to her spot with her eyes focused on the last place she had seen her beloved master.

At one point from where I was positioned I could see her master step quietly from behind the building.

He said nothing but stood quietly still.

His dog saw him too, every muscle in her body was alert to his presence, but she stayed put just as her master had instructed her.

Soon he lifted his hand, and without saying a word, crooked his finger in a gesture for her to "come!"

Like a bolt of lightning she lit out across the field as fast as her feet could carry her to his side.

What a happy reunion!

Her delight at being reunited with her owner was a joy to behold,and his pride in his dog and her beautiful obedience was quite evident.

The next day as I was driving on the freeway, I was pondering what I had witnessed between that owner and his obedient dog.

I wondered at the dogs happiness at being owned and obeying a master.

As I drove I saw a dog lying on the side of the road. It obviously had been struck by a vehicle and had died alongside the road.

I'm sure that at one time that dog had reveled in it's freedom from any restraint or ownership, and I thought about the joy it sometimes feels to have no one controlling what you do, especially when one is young and carefree.

At the same time I realized that while this dog had full freedom to run wild and free, it also had the burden of finding warmth from the cold and the pressure of seeking food to fill it's empty belly, plus the loneliness of having no owner to care if it was well and nurtured.

While this dog was lying dead on the road, I thought about the well trained dog I had seen at the dog show.

While she was resting warm and full in front of her master's fire in his home loved and cared for, but not free to run wild,  this other dog died all alone running as free as the wind.

There's a truth here.

Jesus asks us, "Why do you call me Lord when you don't obey Me?"

He said if anyone loves Him and obeys Him, that He and His Father will come and live with that person and make Their home with that one.

Many today call Him Lord but don't believe that His words are meant to be obeyed.

We as a culture now reap the full harvest  of our rebellion and wild freedom.

Broken homes, rampant drugs, gross immorality, murder of innocent babies, hatred of parents, churches filled with false teaching, women dominating, men that follow rather than lead, children rebelling....this is our world.

We are now a nation under the full wrath of God.

We have rejected His will.

Now we will have His fill of reaping what we have so belligerently sown.

Our full harvest is now ready to be brought in.

What a deep sorrow.

It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

If you are a Christian and your heart desires to see good for your own home and family, it is time to repent of all known sin, fall on your knees and diligently seek God's forgiveness and mercy.

No more compromise.

Jesus must be Lord of all.

Seek to obey Him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.

Pray without ceasing.

We serve a mighty God.

But He is only God and Master to those who let Him lead.

If you want to run free He will not stop you.

He will give you your terrible freedom.

But you will not be resting by His fire and be fed by His hand as His full wrath comes upon this evil country of rebellion.

God will not strive with man forever, and the blood of millions of babies cries out for His vengeance.

That vengeance is here.

There is no politician or religious leader who can save you or your family.

There is only one Name by which we can be saved..... Jesus Christ.

He will cover those whose hearts and minds are obeedient to Him.

The hour is late.

Come out from among them and be ye separate!