Tag Archives: Animals

June 18, 2018

Puppaccinos and Mercy

By Daniel M. Klem

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. -Proverbs 12:10, KJV

Mickey loves his Puppaccino, even when he gets stuck.

I love my dogs. We even sometimes call them our “fur babies.” Sometimes I spoil them with a trip to the coffee shop that has Puppaccinos for dogs (whipped cream with dog biscuits on top). I feel bad when they do not get their regularly timed walks or step on a sharp rock or hot asphalt during those walks.

Even though I love these guys, if my wife or another human were in trouble, I would choose the human over them.

Have Mercy

Some people, however, only view animals as property, at best. Their idea of mercy on their dogs is not kicking them very hard or remembering to feed them today.

Oftentimes, these are people who tend to treat many humans similarly. Whether it is being verbally abusive, deceptive, or simply not caring, this type of person would rather record you having a problem than help you.

This thinking infects most of us in some way, ever since the beginning when Cain asked God about Abel, “Am I my brothers keeper?” In other words, “How is this my problem? What has it to do with me?”

Jesus turned this thinking on its head, most notably in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). To be fondly and righteous means to make others’ problems our own. It means not thinking too highly of oneself, but as a servant to others. It means having compassion and showing mercy on others.

It might even mean caring about what happens to animals. (But always in regards to human life.)

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December 17, 2017

Beyond Me

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 30:18-19

“There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.”

Too Wonderful?

In this modern age, there are a lot of wonders to behold. The majority of those wonders consist of man-made technologies that capture and hold our attention only as long as they are new. Once the newness is gone and another gadget or upgrade hit the market (which is about every thirty seconds), the “wonderful” suddenly becomes boring and old.

Is there anything in this world that is made by man that is “too wonderful” to understand? For some people, the answer would be “yes.” For example, I will probably never understand how a person can manage to play a whole symphony on a horn with just three valves, much less how a rocket gets to the moon and back. But anything that is made by man can be understood by man, duplicated, and marketed. And once something is fully understood, the awe is gone.

Yes, Too Wonderful!

However, there are some things, no matter how much we learn, that will still be “too wonderful,” so much so that it will elude the wisest men alive (or ever lived). Not even the writer of this proverb could figure these things out.

Some things seem simple on the surface, but wind up far more complicated and intricate once we begin to examine them more closely. But even when we figure out the mechanics of some things, we later realize that there is a “way” about them that defies explanation: the way of a soaring eagle; the grace of a serpent moving across a rock; how a little boat survives in the midst of the sea; how ugly men attract beautiful women (Seriously!).

There are some things that are just beyond me, and I’m glad.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Animals, Creation, Paths of Life

January 16, 2014

Beyond Me

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 30:18-19

“There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.”

Too Wonderful?

In this modern age there are a lot of wonders to behold. The majority of those wonders consist of man-made technologies that capture and hold our attention only as long as they are new. Once the newness is gone and another gadget or upgrade hit the market (which is about every thirty seconds), the “wonderful” suddenly becomes boring and old.

Is there anything in this world that is made by man that is “too wonderful” to understand? For some people the answer would be “yes.” For example, I will probably never understand how a person can manage to play a whole symphony on a horn with just three valves, much less how a rocket gets to the moon and back. But anything that is made by man can be understood by man, duplicated, and marketed. And once something is fully understood, the awe is gone.

Yes, Too Wonderful!

However, there are some things, no matter how much we learn, that will still be “too wonderful,” so much so that it will elude the wisest men alive (or ever lived). Not even the writer of this proverb could figure these things out.

Some things seem simple on the surface, but wind up far more complicated and intricate once we begin to examine them more closely. But even when we figure out the mechanics of some things, we later realize that there is a “way” about them that defies explanation: the way of a soaring eagle; the grace of a serpent moving across a rock; how a little boat survives in the midst of the sea; how ugly men attract beautiful women (Seriously!).

There are some things that are just beyond me, and I’m glad.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Animals, Creation, Paths of Life

September 27, 2013

Being Broken

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 26:3

3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.

Learning

When I was a young believer, in my late teens, I was hearing about and seeing many people and friends going into the ministry. I began asking, “Are they asked by those in authority, ‘When were you broken?'”

My reasoning was and is simple: we are born with a sinful nature (Romans 1-3). Just like a wild stallion or donkey, we want to do our own thing and not listen to anyone else!

To get these animals to learn, we have to discipline them, break their stubborn spirit (to a point, at least). A horse may need a quick whip or kick to learn to follow our commands to move or turn. A donkey needs a bridle to learn to follow us and eat everything in front of it.

Learning from God

However, God treats us the same way we treat these wild animals.

Just like these great animals a fool keeps going back to the same bad behavior, until he understands the consequences. Whether those consequences come through danger, pain, or incarceration.

To help us get control over our sinful nature, God disciplines us (see Deuteronomy 8, specifically verse 5; Proverbs 3:12; and Hebrews 12).

We want to go our own way, so He has to guide us with limitations. We want to stay where it is comfortable, so He has to kick us into gear. We want to consume so many things that are not good for us (and in abundance!), so He has to remove the possibility of our consuming. Sometimes, He keeps us right where we are to teach us to be content.

He would like us to choose for ourselves, and His directions and discipline help to get us there. They frequently hurt and are uncomfortable, but it is to break our stubborn spirit to get us to listen to Him.

It is because He loves us and wants us to stand with Him in love.

Accept your circumstances as opportunities from God to grow closer to Him, to become more Christ-like.

Heavenly Father, thank You for your discipline and love. Help us to see these opportunities to grow, to learn from them, and to become more like our Lord Jesus Christ!

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Animals, Fools, Mercy