Never A Sheep, Matthew 7:21, 23

Buddy doesn’t want to get up.

If you’ve been reading my blog for some time, you know that Buddy ran off one fireworks streaked, July evening. I exhausted myself looking for him—to no avail. I took a nap for a few hours then drove around as the morning dawn spread into the early morning sunshine. I had no idea how many bunny rabbits hopped around my neighborhood till that morning. Fortunately, my cousin, whom I had just met at an 80th birthday party for her great uncle and aunt (same birthday) put me in contact with a neighborhood rescue that knew where Buddy was.

I honestly believe that Jesus introduced me to my cousin because He knew she’d be instrumental in helping me find my beloved Buddy one day.

Plus, I’m certain God protected Buddy that night he ran off. When I was running around on foot searching for Bud, I saw a van slam to a stop a block away. The driver of the truck behind the van angrily honked his horn because of the sudden stop. I’m certain the woman driving the van was avoiding hitting Buddy as that was the neighborhood where someone had taken Buddy in.

(Wish his rescuers had heard me calling for Buddy at the top of my strained voice, but at least Bud was safe, due to this kind couple.)

I wore myself out searching for Buddy because he is my pal, my furever friend.

Other neighbors helped search initially, but since Buddy wasn’t their family member, they didn’t persevere as long as I did.

Christians who claim that you can lose your salvation tend to camp on about three verses, while ignoring dozens of others that teach or indicate that the opposite is true.

For example, Jesus is recorded as saying, by His disciple Matthew, the former tax collector:

“‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father Who is in heaven will enter…I will declare to them, “I NEVER knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”’”—Matthew 7:21, 23

The emphasis on “NEVER” is mine to clarify the point I’m making: Jesus claimed He NEVER knew the person protesting that they should be permitted entrance into heaven.

He didn’t say, “You used to be one of my sheep, but you chose to leave the fold.”

No, Jesus said that the person was NEVER one of His flock.

What did Jesus teach about the shepherd who had a sheep who went astray? The shepherd had 100 sheep but one wandered away from the safety of the flock and the shepherd’s watchful care. The shepherd left the other 99 sheep and went in search of the one that strayed away until he found it (Matthew 18:12-13).

So, too, Jesus doesn’t turn His back on the lamb of His flock who foolishly wanders away because of listening to the world, the flesh or the enemy (Mathew 26:41, 1 John 2:16).

The Apostle Paul chastised the Galatians for going astray from the purity of the Gospel and rebuked the Corinthians for their sinful behavior, but he still considered them God’s people.

Because “Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2)” initiates our faith and brings it to completion. He knows that the world, our flesh, and the devil are always working to discourage, defeat, and lead astray His people. It’s the power of the Holy Spirit Who convicts us when we go astray and leads us back into the security of His flock and obedience.

As the Apostle Paul confidently declared in Philippians 1:6:

“I am confident of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

WILL perfect the faith He initiates in the lambs of His flock.

Hope this reassures you.

Jesus always has His children enclosed in His arms, leading them safely home (Psalm 139:5, Psalm 23:3).

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Would you like to be a member of Jesus’ flock? You don’t have to “clean up your act” first. He only wants you to ask Him to be your God and Great Shepherd, then He’ll take responsibility for guiding you into attitudes and behaviors that are healthier and life sustaining.

You just gotta be humble enough to admit you’re a sinner requiring His moral guidance and authority in your life—the opposite of what Adam and Eve did.

If you’re ready, please repeat the below, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and want to change my life’s direction. Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And reveal to me how much You love me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the Mighty name of Your Son Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding as it’s a supernatural book.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study, as sheep belong in a flock for protection. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by legalism or false teaching until you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you as you start walking a new path in your life. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

My Welsh Great Grandfather

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?

Growing up, I identified most with my Welsh Great Grandpa because I grew up with him. He took my brother and I for walks in the forest, while he hobbled along on his crutches telling us scary stories. After he and his wife became frail, they moved in with my grandparents who lived less than two miles away. He often told me tales of traveling to the USA and always supported Welsh entertainers. It was practically a requirement to listen to Tom Jones and watch his variety show on TV, for instance. He also taught me the game of chess, so that we had an activity that we could engage in together.

The Welsh are known for their singing, particularly their Christian heritage singing in chinch choirs. I used to attend festivals with my grandmother on St. David’s Day, honoring the patron Saint of Wales. Church choral songs were always sung in Welsh firstly, then some in English. Often a harpist performed, too.

He passed away my first year of college, but I clearly recall his gruff voice, damaged by breathing in the coal dust when he worked in the coal mines of Black Diamond, Washington.

It was a dream come true when I traveled to Wales for the first time in 2013 to visit his hometown and ride the train which used to take shale to the coast to ship all over the world to roof houses.

But the past few years I’ve realized that I had unintentionally hurt my mother’s feelings because I was only celebrating, and showing interest, in my dad’s heritage and not her Italian heritage. (I’m an all-American mutt: I’ve many other nationalities in my background than just these two.) Her side of the family lived far away, so visits with them were infrequent. Visiting Italy was a marvelous experience and I hope to return to explore this rich culture again someday.

Yet—Wales’ siren song still calls to me to return.

And that cool green and white flag with the red dragon is marvelous!

The red dragon symbolizing freedom.

That same freedom my Welsh great grandpa found in America.

Take care and thanks for reading!

Beatles’ “Help”

What’s your all-time favorite album?

When I was about 7 years old, I saved up my allowance for months, which was usually a quarter a month. (Our parents obviously were not wealthy.) I was so proud to ride the escalator to the second floor of the Sears store in the nearby town (replaced by a Fred Meyer) to the record department. With my own money, I purchased my first record album, The Beatles’ “Help” album.

It’s still my favorite. I believe the CD eliminated many of the instrumental arrangements on the original LP.

Maybe it’s my favorite because it was my first.

(Was not a new release.)

What’s Life All About—Really? Acts 26:18

After our first Silky terrier, Buster, died, my life was devoid of a pet dog for 1.5 years. He passed away while lying next to me on my bed. I wept till I could cry no more, although his incipient death from kidney failure was not unexpected.

But my life felt empty without a furry welcome of rejoicing when I entered my house. As many say, “A house without a dog is not a home.”

Buddy isn’t my whole life—Jesus is.

But Buddy makes my life whole.

Just as the Holy Spirit of God awakens my dead spirit and fills that emptiness in my soul, Buddy fills an empty place in my life.

When I didn’t believe that Jesus is God Who was manifested in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), Christians tried to explain the gospel to me, but they made it too complex. As a result, after being saved, I’ve often considered how to make the truth easier for nonbelievers to grasp.

Here is one summary of “What Life Is All About”:

Choosing the god you will spend eternity with after you take your last breath.

There is enough heaven on earth to reveal that a powerful and creative God exists Who loves beauty and variety.

And enough hell to reveal that there is an evil force in the universe who delights in death, destruction, horror and trouble.

The Apostle Paul explained his mission given to him by the resurrected Jesus when he stood before King Agrippa as a prisoner making a defense for his freedom:

To open the blind eyes of nonbelievers by declaring the truth about who Jesus is, “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”—Acts 26:18

Every day every single person makes a choice: Choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and spend eternity with Him.

Or choose to reject Jesus as your God and remain spiritually dead, in bondage to Satan’s will—and spend eternity in Hell with the enemy of your soul.

Psalm 139:16 declares that we have an appointed day to die when God creates us. Of course, we don’t know the exact timing, even when seriously ill. Only God knows.

I’m hoping, dear reader, you’ve made the right choice and will go to Heaven, spending eternity with the Lord Who loves you and loved ones who are awaiting your arrival…

Including your fur pals.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

I’m hoping that my blog posts are helpful, either helping Christians clarify the gospel in their own minds, or will help someone give their life to the Lord. If just one person comes to the Lord because a reader has been able to lead someone to Christ because of my blog, or a reader gives their life to Jesus, then these years of posting have not been fruitless.

Or if it’s encouraged my fellow saints to hang in there.

Love you all.

Dawn

***

So, dear reader, have you chosen Heaven as your eternal destination? If you haven’t given your life to Christ yet, don’t believe Satan’s lies that you’ll lose your freedom if you do. The devil wants you to remain enslaved to his will and purposes for this world.

But with Jesus:

“If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”—John 8:36

You may not feel like you’re in bondage, but when you are alone and quiet, you likely sense an emptiness in your soul. It’s because you’re incomplete until the Spirit of Christ resurrects your spirit and frees you from slavery to the world, the flesh, and the devil (James 3:15).

Are you willing to choose to spend eternity with Jesus as your Lord and God? You don’t need to clean up your act first, as it’s impossible to meet His standard of perfect behavior. You need to humble yourself by admitting your need for His life and guidance, a willingness to admit that you’re a sinner. If you’re willing, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to go to heaven. Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and grant me resurrection life. I want to live for You. Please teach me how much You love me. And please replace the lies I’m believing with the truth. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The biblical scriptures are soul food.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. Please ask Jesus to lead you to the right place.

If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two Christian ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled or fall into legalism if you don’t know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Do You Have God’s Entrance Ticket Into Heaven? Matthew 7:21-23

Alert but not wanting to get up.

I’ve never tested this out, but I’d guess that if I called out “Buddy!” to a crowd of dogs, only my Buddy would respond, even though the name is common. (I didn’t get to name him as he was adopted as a three-year-old.) The other Buddys would be listening for the unique voice of their own master.

I was hoping that my dad’s neighbor would lead him to Christ one day, as they get along so well that you’d swear it was the same guy talking but duplicated. They have a great, budding friendship.

But when speaking to this neighbor a week ago, I was distressed that he claimed to be a Christian, yet likely is not.

Jesus spoke about people who believed they would enter heaven but would be surprised to be denied entrance, as His disciple Matthew recorded in Matthew 7:21:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.’”

Sadly, there are going to be many people who will have an unpleasant surprise on Judgment Day.

Now, it’s between a person and Jesus to know what’s in their heart.

And what is the Father’s will in order to be saved? Jesus explained this, also, as recorded by the Apostle John in John 6:28-29:

“Therefore, they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’”

The people denied entrance into heaven, as described by Jesus in Matthew, protested that they had done good deeds and performed many wonderful works in His name (Matthew 7:22). They deserved to enter heaven!

How did Jesus respond to their protestations and justifications of good works?

“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”—Matthew 7:23

God is so holy, there is not one person who can meet His standard to enter His presence in Heaven, which is perfection (Matthew 5:48).

God doesn’t grade on a curve. The cutoff point is perfection to enter heaven or not perfect to go to Hell.

Pretty harsh, right?

But think how unfair it’d be if He did grade on a curve? For instance, say a person lies 99 times and is admitted into Heaven, but another lies 100 times but is sent to everlasting Hell. Is that fair? Out by one lie?

My dad’s friend alarmed me because he believes there are other ways to heaven than through Jesus; you just have to be a good person.

But that’s not what Jesus taught.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”—John 14:6

If you could earn your way into Heaven by being good, then how good do you need to be? How do you know where the cutoff point is? How can you ever have the peace Jesus promises to give His followers (John 14:27) that eliminates fear?

You couldn’t.

And if you could earn your way into Heaven, then why would Jesus need to die for our sins? He could’ve avoided the excruciatingly painful death on the Cross and just let us try to be good, with His guiding principles.

Jesus declared Himself to be “the life,” because it’s only through Jesus that your dead, sinful spirit can be resurrected to supernatural life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit alone is your ticket into Heaven.

And He gives His supernatural resurrection life to those who ask.

Because it’s impossible to be good enough to meet the Father’s standard of perfection.

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;”—the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 64:6

One ticket to enter Heaven.

And freely available to everyone who is humble enough to ask, whether a toddler or a man dying and gasping out his last breaths.

As the thief on his own cross, crucified next to Jesus, who acknowledged his sin and declared his faith in Jesus as he was dying. And Jesus promised he would be in Paradise that day with Him (Luke 23:43).

If you’re running on the hamster wheel of good works, trying to earn God’s love: relax. You already have it if you’ve confessed your sins and acknowledged Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Rest and rejoice in His love as one of His children.

If you think you can earn your way into heaven—you’re deceived. You can never be good enough. Which is good news, because you don’t have to clean up your act first to get saved. Just pray the prayer below the ***.

Don’t cross that great divide thinking you’re good enough. Not even Job met the standard, and God declared him to be the most righteous man on the earth (Job 1:8). When Job tried to justify himself before God, claiming that he didn’t deserve such punishment, the Almighty rebuked him.

In summary: There is only one ticket to heaven.

Not good deeds.

But the Holy Spirit, given freely to those who ask.

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”—Jesus, Luke 11:13

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

To receive resurrection life you must:

Admit you are a sinner.

God is the boss, not you.

Jesus is your Lord, God in the flesh, who died for your sins and was resurrected bodily from the grave on the third day to give you life.

If you’re ready to start a new path in life, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sin. Thank you for sending Jesus to take the punishment that my sin deserves. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit. I give my life to you. Show me how much You love me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily; it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul.

Also, please join a Bible-believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by bad teaching or legalism if you don’t know what the Bible teaches fairly well.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Wanting To Flee, Psalm 55:6-8

Blissful Buddy on the Pacific Shore.

Buddy and I love the Pacific Ocean beach. After walking along the marvelous boardwalk at Longbeach, Washington, Buddy and I found rest, lying in the cool sand amongst the beachgrass, allowing the salty breeze to flow over us.

We live in frightening times. The West is increasingly self-destructing, the citizenry no longer appreciative of their Christian heritage: individual rights, property rights, animal rights, archeological preservation, women’s rights, the abolition of slavery, conservation; and marvelous cathedrals, symphonies, and paintings, etc. Led by ungodly intellectuals and other elites, who don’t acknowledge that their talent and intelligence are gifts from the Almighty Creator, the accomplishments of Western Civilization are increasingly disdained, ignored or denigrated.

People who reject Jesus usually believe that people are basically good, yet reject the positive attributes of Western Society and focus only on the negative.

Basically, many elites believe Western Culture should be dismantled, burned to the ground, in favor of erecting a new society…

Made in their own image, divorced from the West’s Christian roots.

If you’ve read this far, you likely identify with the king of the ancient, united kingdom of Israel, King David, who prayed the following to the Lord:

“Give heed to me and answer me…Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked;…My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

“Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.”—Psalm 55:2-5

Over three thousand years ago King David also felt overwhelmed by the evil of his day. Which goes to demonstrate that technology may change and customs, but not human nature.

I often feel exactly as David did in response to the wicked times he lived in:

“I said, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.

“‘Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness.

“‘I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest.’”—Psalm 55:6-8

I don’t know about you, but I often wish I could run away with Buddy to some quiet cabin in the wilderness, nestled amongst pine and fir trees, far away from evil people. Buddy could race after squirrels and I could sit on a checkered blanket, eating a tuna fish sandwich while listening to, and watching, a burbling brook meander by.

But then I’m reminded of several things:

One: I often fight evil within myself. I’ve had to pray many times not to hate the people trying to destroy my country, my faith, and my family. Not to despise those who are increasingly pushing our nation toward tyranny and denying the existence of their Creator.

I can flee to the wilderness, but am still bringing evil with me. There’s days some people would love to flee from me, too!

Two: “Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”—Jesus, Matthew 6:9-10

We all have an advantage that King David didn’t have: the prophecies in the Book of Daniel, in the Book of Revelation, and other Biblical prophecies after his time.

I have to remind myself that God has a plan to bring human history to a close. Jesus is coming (possibly in our lifetimes) to claim this world, purchased with His blood, as His own and end the reign of evil.

As Jesus taught, it’s His will, not mine. Although I live in troubled times, Jesus did forewarn in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 that scary times will come. I need to accept it’s His plan in play, not mine.

Three: There is a place to run to when I’m scared. I’m never alone nor unprotected.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea…

“The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.

“The Lord of Hosts is with us…”—Psalm 46:1-2, 6-7

Yes, there is good cause today to be fearful and angry.

But God has a plan.

And we can find refuge through coming to Him, admitting our fears and seeking His comfort, a comfort this deteriorating world cannot give.

Hang in there, my friend. Jesus knows every hair on your head (Matthew 10:30). He’s in control.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Jesus is our rock and our fortress, “a very present help in trouble.” But if you don’t acknowledge God exists, loves you, and is the King, then your confidence is in feeble, changing people or your own ability to control the events of your life.

That you have ultimate control is only an illusion. The recent pandemic proved that most of life is beyond our control.

But nothing is beyond the power of The Almighty God Who is unlimited in power, knowledge and presence (omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent).

Jesus promises to answer prayer. But only for His children Who accept that He died for their sins and was raised bodily from the grave to give eternal life to those who acknowledge Him as Lord and God.

If you don’t know Jesus, the only prayer you can be confident He’ll answer is a prayer of repentance, asking Jesus into your heart as Your Lord and God.

God us gracious and does answer prayers at times for those who don’t know Him, in order to show His love and care. But you cannot have any confidence that He will listen, only a hope.

Why not ask Jesus into your life to bring you comfort and peace?

“My peace I give to you…”—Jesus, John 14:27

Peace is a gift from God to those who ask for it.

No earning. No grunting it out.

Just asking.

Won’t you invite God into your life right now?

I’m so glad that I did, years ago.

If you’re willing, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m tired of feeling afraid. You are God Almighty, in control of the universe and Creator of all life. Please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I acknowledge He died for my sins and rose bodily from the dead, proving that He is God. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. Thank you for answering my prayer. In the name of Jesus, Your Son, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well. Ask God to guide you as you read and seek godly information.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Running Away From Love, 1 John 4:18, Part One

Buddy truly is the strangest fur pal I’ve ever lived with. He comes up to me to say hello, then runs away when I bend over to hug or pet him. His predecessor, Buster, loved being held or carried. When I had abdominal surgery, he crawled up onto the couch without any encouragement to lie next to me until I recovered. I still treasure the photo of us lying together on the couch.

What likely caused the difference in their reactions to my attempts at expressing my love to them?

Their puppy years.

Buster was adopted at eight weeks old. He was a bit of an instigator, leading the other puppies into trouble, so his owner released him two weeks early to my family. Buster knew only hugs, cuddles, kisses and affection as he grew into adulthood.

However, Buddy was mistreated for three years till I adopted him from his foster mom who had rescued him from an abusive situation. Based upon Buddy’s behavior, he must’ve been kicked whenever he stood still or his food was snatched away before he could eat it. He still won’t eat his food if anyone is looking at him, as if fearful it’ll be taken away.

Which is weird as I’m the one buying his expensive, healthy food, snacks and other supplements to ensure his health is as good as possible.

Similarly, the majority of people run away from God, even though He’s the Creator of everything, and every sentient being, that exists. Every breath is a gift of life from Him.

The Apostle John put his finger on one of the major issues with accepting His love:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.“—1 John 4:18

Two dogs with the same loving owner, yet with two very different reactions when that love is expressed.

Unfortunately, God is often misrepresented by the church. People are told, “You cannot measure up to God’s perfect standard, so Jesus died to pay for your sins to meet that standard for you…”

Then, after they’ve asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, they’re told: “Now that you’re saved, you better behave at all times AND your motives better be right too, or God will punish you. He’s standing there with a big stick, waiting to smack you one if you get out of line.“

Christians are taught to be afraid of God, because they’re still fearing punishment. And maybe they’ll even lose their salvation if they cross that line, angering God one too many times.

In other words: You cannot keep the Law before you were saved, but you can keep it now with the Holy Spirit’s help.

So, Christians try really hard to behave and when they eventually fall short, they get discouraged and give up “trying to be good,” or fall prey to Satan’s condemnation, because our enemy always loves to kick us when we’re down. Or, they put on the self-righteous smiley face, hoping they are fooling everybody with how good they are at obeying God, while knowing deep down they’re really hypocrites who cannot measure up, while others think they’re hypocrites because nobody’s perfect.

But what is the cure for being afraid of God?

“We love Him because He first loved us.”—1 John 4:19

God sent His Son Jesus to live amongst sinful, imperfect people for over 33 years. He came, not only to pay for our sins, voluntarily suffering a humiliating and excruciatingly painful death on the cross, but also, I believe, because we just couldn’t “get Him.”

The ancient Israelites could never truly trust that God loved and wanted to bless them. One example is that He delivered them from Egyptian bondage then took them on a roundabout route to the Promised Land so that they wouldn’t encounter warfare too soon. He even sent them out, loaded with gifts from the Egyptians, but they still grumbled and refused to enter the Promised Land when He asked them to. Eventually, they entered and were given an abundantly blessed land, with vineyards, fields, and homes already built by those God helped them displace, yet they continually rebelled against His rule and followed other false gods, even sacrificing their children to Molech.

Jesus became God incarnate (Matthew 1:23) to demonstrate His love for us. He healed the sick, fed thousands, comforted sinners, cast demons out of people, and suffered for our sins. He showed how much He loves us imperfect people.

God isn’t eager to punish us when we get out of line. Jesus already took our punishment. It’s been my experience that the Holy Spirit convicts me and warns me to change a certain behavior. He only allows consequences reluctantly if I don’t change course. He’s not eager to “bring down the hammer” on me. He gives me time to repent. It’s my own stubbornness and rebellion that brings me trouble.

Now, I’m not advocating that personal experience replace Biblical teaching, but I believe my experiences confirm what the Bible teaches, not that I get my theology from experience. (Which is likely pastors often warn not to get your theology from the Book of Acts as it’s a history.)

“But God, Who comforts the depressed…”—Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 7:6

It’s also my experience that God is mindful of our emotions. He doesn’t crush my spirit by slamming me with a list of my sins and expect me “to clean up my act all at once”. He reveals them one by one, peeling away my sins like peeling away the layers of an onion. I deal with one, then He reveals something else to work on. In fact, if I ever succumb to proud thoughts, such as, “I’m doing pretty good this week,” the Holy Spirit will point something out and then I’m horrified. I’m never “good” compared to a Holy, perfect God.

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 4:30

I loved Buster dearly and I love Buddy, despite their faults. I would never reject either of them. I look forward to seeing Buster and all my fur pals in heaven one day—and maybe even being raptured with Buddy, if the Lord returns soon.

The Lord doesn’t want us to grieve Him by acting sinfully, as it brings harm to us and others.

But we are “sealed for the day of redemption”. God will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He’s not going to reject His imperfect children.

We don’t need to be afraid of God. Or run away from Jesus, fearing He’s out to get us.

We can find forgiveness, help, comfort, encouragement and loving correction from a Father Who loves us.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Once again, I intended to be brief. But I guess it’s difficult for me to do so!

***

We’re living in an age of grace. God’s love is freely available to everyone who accepts it. But He won’t force a relationship with you. He wants you to voluntarily ask Him to be your God and Savior. He desires you to accept His authority in your life, because then you’ll leave the kingdom of darkness for His kingdom of Light (Colossians 1:13-14). Which is greatly to your benefit.

There’s so much more that could be said, but are you willing to accept God as your Father, Who guides, comforts, corrects and loves you?

If so, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I want to live in the light of Your love and leave the kingdom of darkness. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit. I want to live for You. And show me how much You love me. Teach me not to be afraid of You, even when you’re forced to correct my behavior. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the name of Jesus, Who took the punishment my sins deserved, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s good for your soul. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible Study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled or bound by legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

(A bit of a delay in posting as Buddy is demanding butt scritches, which is very unusual.)

What TV Shows Did You Watch As A Kid?

Buddy wondering what I’m doing.

When I was growing up, there were several television series featuring animals: “Flipper,” “Gentle Ben,” “Lassie,” “All Creatures Great and Small,” and “Lassie”. I loved all shows featuring animals.

Jacques Cousteau traveling the seas was very popular along with Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.

I adored Scruffy the Wire Fox terrier, the family pet on “The Ghost And Mrs Muir”.

For some reason, animal shows largely disappeared from mainstream TV. Then the comedy “Frasier,” premiered in September 1993 with the wire-haired fox terrier, Eddie. Suddenly, advertisers realized that Americans loved dogs. Since that program, many more advertisers are featuring animals in their ads, particularly dogs.

Thanks for reading.