I can count on one hand the books, outside of the
Bible, that have dramatically changed my view of my relationship with God. That
is probably an indictment on my lack of reading as much as anything but,
nonetheless, these books have helped shaped my practical theology. Here they
are:
1.
Experiencing
God by
Henry Blackaby
2.
The Mind of
Christ by
T.W. Hunt
3.
Disappointment
with God by
Philip Yancey
4.
Where Is God
When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey
I would go on to say that
anything by Philip Yancey would be near the top of my list. I love his
transparency in writing. But just as impactful
on my life is a book written by another Philip.
The fifth book that has helped shaped me is written by
Phillip Keller who was a prolific devotional writer back in the 1970’s and
80’s. The one book of his that I refer to is Lessons from a Sheepdog.
For years I understood Jesus being the Good Shepherd
and we being his sheep. I assumed I was to enjoy grazing and enjoying life
while keeping one ear attuned to the calls of the shepherd. But through this
book, I came to realize that I am much more to God than a person that spent his
day frolicking in his pasture without a care in the world unless I decided to wander
off for ‘greener pastures’ and ended up in some thicket. Whenever that would
happen, I would quickly call for help and await a quick rescue. Such was the
life of a Christian, I thought.
But through Keller’s book I came to discover that I am
called to be an under-shepherd for God; a co-worker in his pasture in caring
for his sheep. And just like the beautiful symbiotic relationship between a
sheepdog and his master shepherd, it should be my desire to serve Him and my
acts of devotion for him. It is this
relationship between a creature that has had its spirit freed to be all he had
been created to be and thus blesses the spirit of the other - our Creator,
Master and, now, our Friend.
Here are seven lessons we can learn from dogs:
Lesson
#1 - We were created for a purpose
There are different species of dogs that have been
bred to carry out specific duties - retrievers, trackers, terriers, sheep dogs,
etc. All of them are bred to assist their master in carrying out important
tasks.
Likewise we have been created by God for a
purpose. Ephesians 2:10 says,
For we
are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do
Many of us have used some type of discovery tool that
takes into account the many facets God has designed into us. Whether you used SHAPE or SERVE or some other acrostic, we can see how God are created for a
purpose through:
Spiritual
gifts Heart passions Abilities & skills Personality
type Experiences in life
or
Spiritual
gifts Enthusiastic sources Relational
style Vocational Skills Experiences in life
All of these things have been mixed into the core our
being in order to serve God in a special way. Just like a terrier is designed
to dive into holes in the ground or how a Labrador is best equipped to retrieve
ducks in the water, each of us have been
created in a unique way to serve God.
Lesson
#2 - We experience the abundant life when we serve God
I feel we can experience our greatest pleasure in life
when we carry out our master’s wishes in His kingdom’s work. Then we will enjoy
the blessings of His words of love and approval as we carry these tasks out in
His name.
Sadly, there are many people who don’t experience this
abundant life because, like a talented dog that is not trained, we are only out
to please ourselves and often become unhappy or burdensome to others around us.
We have all seen beautiful specimens of dogs that are a nuisance to be around
because they have had no training. The purpose for which they were bred to do
is not being utilized and they won’t experience that fulfillment until they
receive the proper training.
We have watched dog agility contests and can see a
dog’s delight in his craft as carries out his commands successfully. That is
the delight we can experience and the joy we can bring to God when we are
willing to carry out His commands.
Lesson
#3 - We receive our instructions from God’s Word and through the Spirit in
prayer
Work dogs are taught to respond to hand signals,
whistles, and verbal commands in order to carry out their important tasks. We, as
Christians, must remain attuned to God’s voice and his instructions that He
gives through the Bible and what we receive from the Spirit through times of
prayer and meditation. If we ignore those times of instructions, we will miss
out on those times of delight in service and worship to our Master.
Lesson
#4 – God desires an intimate relationship with us
The relationship between a working dog is a
multi-faceted one. It is part
owner/servant; part equal working partner; and part close friend. After all, we say that ‘dogs are a man’s best
friend.’
In our relationship with God we have elements of a
master/slave relationship. Paul often addressed himself as a servant of Jesus
in his letters. But Jesus, in his
relationship with his disciples, added a new dimension to his relationship with
them when he said to his disciples,
You are my friends if you do what I command. I no
longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's
business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned
from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I
chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then
the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command:
Love each other. (John 15:14-17)
Jesus now considers us “friend” and a partner in
serving God since we know what He wants us to do.
Lesson
#5 - Times of silence can test our resolve
One of the hardest commands a dog has difficulty in
obeying is the ‘stay’ command. He is told to stay put to watch the herd or in a
place of safety while his master goes out of sight, sometimes for an extended
amount of time.
Those times when we don’t hear our Master’s voice or
see His hand at work, we get very antsy in carrying out the “stay” command.
There are times in our life when we don’t understand what’s going on, why
nothing’s happening, or why we don’t see God at work and hear his voice. We
want to be doing something; we want to be in the spotlight, we want to be where
‘it’s happening’.
But we need to remember that to God, a “stay” command
that is obeyed is as important as a “go” command that is given. The important
thing is the obedience of the command. There will be times when we won’t
understand why things are happening or not happening and we are tempted to
‘break faith’ with God. It is important
that we stay faithful to the task he gives, regardless of the seemingly
insignificance it may seem to us. If we can stay faithful, then we will hear
his voice say,
'Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many
things. Come and share your master's happiness!' - Matthew 25:21
Lesson
#6 - God always initiates reconciliation after times of disobedience
Whenever a working dog ‘breaks faith’ and doesn’t
carry out a command, it results in some type of discipline being enforced.
A dog knows when he has done wrong because he will bow
his head and slink to the floor. He senses he has disappointed his master and
is expecting some discipline and a sense of withdrawal from his master.
Often the severest form of discipline is the
discipline of silence and distance. There are times in our lives when our sin
separates us from God. Like Adam and Eve in the garden we try to hide in our
sense of shame. And God must separate himself from us because of His holiness.
However, there is always the time when God sees our
remorse and hears our confession of sin and He always initiates the
reconciliation process.
It is so endearing when after a period of discipline
when a dog will slowly approach his master and lay nearby waiting for that sign
that the discipline is concluded. When
the master demonstrates forgiveness is given by the call of his voice and the
soft stroking of his hand, the dog can no longer restrain his love and
demonstrates the room clearing wag of his the tail.
It is a sweet moment of reconciliation and renewed
love when the master offers his forgiveness.
Lesson
#7 - God will meet every need of ours for now and for eternity
Every master of a dog has some expectations for his
dog. But, in kind, every dog depends on the expectation that his master will
meet his every need - he feeds him, houses him, exercises him, trains him for
service, meets every medical need that arises, shows affection toward him, and
has committed to continue to care for him throughout his life.
God has done the same for us:
·
He has promised
to never leave or forsake us
·
He has promised
to meet our physical needs
·
He has promised to
help us overcome temptations
·
He has promised
to guide us and protect us
·
He has promised
to love us eternally
·
And, through
Jesus, he has promised an eternal home in his presence.
THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….
Become a Welcoming Church by using Dr.
Rainer’s newest books - http://thomrainer.com/welcomingchurch/
Check out the new smallgroup.com - https://www.smallgroup.com/app/index.html#/home
Check out the new Ministry Grid - https://www.lifeway.com/en/special-emphasis/ministry-grid
FOR WORSHIP MINISTRY: WorshipLife
Conference 2018 in Gatlinburg, TN,
June 25-29 - https://buff.ly/2GUGMXL
FOR CHURCH SECURITY MINISTRY: FREE Church Security training - https://buff.ly/2piO6EV
FOR SMALL GROUP MINISTRY: Seven Myths
About Small Groups - https://www.lifeway.com/groupministry/2018/01/29/seven-myths-about-small-groups/?ecid=PDM95662&bid=1380214038
FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Jesus Among Secular Gods by Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/jesus-among-secular-gods-leader-kit-p005801715
FOR DISCIPLESHIP: The Balanced Discipleship
Plan: A Catalog of Studies to Develop Disciples - http://ministry-group.s3.amazonaws.com/groupministry/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2017/05/74038_At_A_Glance_FINAL.pdf
FOR DISCIPLESHIP: To Have and To
Hold: Preparing for a Godly Marriage by Byron
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FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Mom Set Free by Jeannie Cunnion - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/mom-set-free-bible-study-book-P005720367
FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: God of Creation by Jen Wilkin - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/god-of-creation
FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: No Other Gods by Kelly Minter - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/living-room-series/no-other-gods?emid=BSI-NOG-01302018&ecid=167601647&bid=1331683113
FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Discerning the
Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer - https://buff.ly/2EmRkwK
FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Just Open the Door
by Jen Schmidt - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/just-open-the-door-leader-kit-P005799558
FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Act Like Men by James McDonald
- https://buff.ly/2sUeHwr
FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Kingdom Disciples by Tony Evans -
https://buff.ly/2GlN9SW
FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: The Main Event, Nashville, TN, August 10-11, 2018 - http://www.lifeway.com/Event/mens-event-the-main-event-2018-hendersonville-tn
FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: How to Develop a Guys Ministry - https://buff.ly/2orI3h0
FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Seven Arrows: A 52 Week Devotional for Teens
by Matt & Sarah Rogers - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/seven-arrows-P005799056
FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Jesus Among Secular Gods by
Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale – http://www.lifeway.com/Product/jesus-among-secular-gods-teen-bible-study-leader-kit-P005802017
FOR FAMILY MINISTRY: ETCH Conference - https://buff.ly/2EpxcKw
FOR KIDS MINISTRY: VBS Jump Start Kit - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/vbs-2018-jump-start-kit-P005793042
FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Christ-Centered Parenting by Russell Moore and Phillip Bethancourt - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/christ-centered-parenting-leader-kit-P005790852
FOR KIDS MINISTRY: TeamKID for Kids in Discipleship,
a year’s curriculum for discipling kids - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/TeamKID?intcmp=LifewayKids-MTX-Image-TeamKid-20151001
