~Daily Devotion 16th~

Tonight's devotion was written by Ann Hopewell. Ann is the chairman of the Coffee With Pat Pet Prayer Team. If you have a human are pet prayer request you may contact Ann through the Coffee With Pat Web-Site from the Pet Page. God Bless each of you.

Pastor Pat

DOG AND GOD

Author: Ann Hopewell

Have you ever given any thought as to how much like God a dog is? Of course you would say I’d be the only one to think of that as I loved all three of my Toy Poodles. I have had people say, if they believed in reincarnation, (which they and I do not believe in,) they would want to come back as my dog because I love them so much and treat them so well. Nothing is too good for my dog.

Why do I treat my dog so well? Because they love me with an undying love. Come to think of it so does Jesus! He loved me so much He gave up his life for my salvation and redemption. Dogs will put their life in line for their master. Think police dogs. They are actually officers of the law, not just dogs that do stuff. They are trained to protect they partner. Dogs don’t even have to be “trained” their natural instinct is to protect their “pack” or “family”.

Dogs are always glad to see you. So is Jesus. Even if you have been away for a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks, when you return both are glad to see you…and they don’t get mad or even pout. Jesus opens His arms; dogs jump up and try to lick your face. Dogs do not have a concept of time. A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day to God.

Dogs want to please their master. Jesus wants us to have life and have it more abundantly to make us happy.

Dogs want to always be with you no matter where you are. They do not require a fancy mansion. They are content just to be by your side sitting on the grass looking at the world. Jesus said He would never leave us nor forsake us. He said He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, black, white, red or yellow. He just wants to be an integral part of your day to day life. So does a dog.

I took my dogs when I had them everywhere I went if I could. They loved it. Jesus wants to go everywhere with you too. He loves it. He loves you!

I was e-mailing with Pastor Pat today telling her that Cali, her dog in training to be a service dog and who has been away from “home” in the trainer’s house for about a week, that Cali would not be mad at her for leaving her at the trainer’s. Pat was concerned. I told her that Cali had no concept of time. For all she knew you went to the grocery store. I said some of the other things I wrote above and then said, “Well, I think I have solved the whole question of just exactly who God is. If Jesus is His son, and Jesus loves us like dogs do, then God must be the highest Alpha Male Dog! And, we are made in His image…oops, there’s a snag”!

It was a little humor between Pastor Pat and I with no disrespect intended to the Great God of the Universe, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Pat has been sharing her dog, really her daughter’s dog, Cali with me via pictures, quips and even little QuickTime videos since my baby, Halle, passed from life with me to life in Jesus’ Arms last September. If you have never owned a dog you have missed one of life’s greatest gifts from God.

I am attaching a video written, drawn, and sung by Wendy Francisco called “God and Dog” which sums it up pretty well. Click below and enjoy.

Amen, Bow Wow

Ann Hopewell

Cali MacShay Aman and Mrs. Ann Hopewell Halle Hopewell

Cali born December 6, 2009 Glory Hallelujah, Praise The Lord and Thank You Jesus

Mrs. Ann born ?????? August 28, 2000 - September 15, 2009

www.wendyfrancisco.com

Matthew 6:5-15, 5."And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

6. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

7. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

8. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9. "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

14. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

23. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

24. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

25. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

The first person you probably have not forgiven is yourself. More people lack forgiveness toward themselves than toward anyone else. They are unwilling to forgive themselves and to recognize that God says,

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12)

If you are a believer, He has already cleansed your conscience from dead works so that you might serve the living God.

Hebrews 9:14 14.How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! God cleans us for service in order not to leave us with the guilt of past sin.

If our heart does not condemn us," the Bible says, "we have confidence toward God." (I John 3:21)

Obviously, we cannot have continuing sin in our lives and expect forgiveness. We have to be free from ongoing conscious sin and rebellion against God. But if we are walking in the light, and walking in forgiveness, the blood of Jesus Christ is continuously cleansing us from all sin.

(I John 1:7) 7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

The second person we have to forgive, if we have bitterness, is God Himself. There are people who blame God because a child died, because a husband ran away, because they have been sick, because they have not had enough money. Consciously or unconsciously they think all of these things are God's fault. There is deep-seated resentment; yet you cannot be resentful toward God and experience kingdom power flowing in your life. You have to rid yourself of any bitterness toward God. That may take some soul-searching. You must ask yourself, "Am I blaming God for my situation?

The third person you may have to forgive is a member of your family. You have to get rid of resentment, especially toward those closest to you. The husbands, the wives, the children, and the parents, all must be forgiven when slights and resentments have built up in family situation. Many people say, "Well, I didn't think that counted. I thought that was just a family matter." All lack of forgiveness has to be eliminated, especially toward every family member.

Finally, there has to be forgiveness for anybody else who has ever done anything against you. It may be that your resentment is justified. The person may have done a very evil, terrible thing to you. You may have every legal and intellectual right to hold a grudge and to hate that person. But if you want to see kingdom life and power flow in your life, it is absolutely imperative that you forgive. Forgive them to the point where you actually feel yourself cleansed of resentment and bitterness and are actually praying for them. If you do not, the lack of forgiveness will make it impossible for God's power to be released to and in you.

The miracle life depends 100 percent on your relationship to God the Father. That relationship is built strictly on the strength of His forgiveness of your sin. Forgiveness is the key. Other sins can be present, and if your heart condemns you for something else, then of course you do not have confidence before God. But it is lack of forgiveness that often comes between people and God.**