Tag Archives: eyes

MOLLY AND ME – THAT LOOK

Christian Life, ,

Molly and me again! We are still together in our ninth year. The bond between us is still there and becoming more refined as we get older.

Let me explain.

Since Molly can only speak “dog”, many of her actions as a younger dog would get me to do for her what she wanted, for example… when she wanted me to pick her up and put her on my lap, she would jump in front of me until she got my attention. I knew her bark when she called me from outside or when she wanted to know where I was. She had a special tone of voice when she scolded me for something that displeased her! Molly’s body language and barks were her way of communicating with me. By trial and error, I began to understand what she was saying.

However, her way of communicating is changing as she gets older. She is less vocal and less physically demonstrative. She knows I understand her better, so she speaks in more subtle ways.

When she is fed up with me, she turns her back on me, lies on her bed facing the other way. Actions speak louder than words!

When she is frustrated, she rolls her blanket around with her nose and eventually dumps it on the floor beside her bed. The attitude is very evident!

When she wants me to pick her up and put her on my lap, she stares at me with a special look in her eyes and an unspoken plea, “Pick me up, please…” She relaxes and willingly allows me to lift her into my arms.

If she doesn’t want me to put her on my lap, she either stiffens and makes herself heavy or gets up and retires to her bed in the bedroom. Sometimes she just lies on my lap and gazes at me. I wonder what she sees!

Molly doesn’t only look at me; she looks to me. When I promise her a treat, she follows the treat container to the kitchen where I open it and drop her treats onto her bed. She knows she gets treats when I leave her for a few hours. She looks for the treats in her bed, quite content that I will come home.

When I look at Molly, I see, not just a small, dapple-coated dachshund. I see Molly, my beloved, four-legged little teacher and companion. I see a little dog who has been at my side and in my heart for more than eight years. I see a small, fragile, dependent animal who can’t live without me. She is always my “baby girl”.

That look, that gesture, that attitude speaks more effectively than a thousand words! They speak of trust, dependence, security. We can breach the gap between dog and human just by looking at one another.

Isn’t that just like the way we communicate with God our Father?
Human language doesn’t always cut it. Sure, we can speak to God, and we do, but there are more ways of communicating with Him and He with us than language because God doesn’t need words.

Matthew 6:7-8 NLT
[7] “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. [8] Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

How can we talk to the Father without words?

First, our look, like Molly’s, speaks loudly of trust.

We look to the Lord for mercy and He responds with His peace.

Psalms 123:1-2 NIV
[1]”I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. [2] As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.”

We look to the Lord for protection and our trust is rewarded.

Psalms 28:7 NIV
[7]”The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”

We look to the Lord for strength and He supports us.

Psalms 105:4 NIV
[4] “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.#

As we seek the Lord and look to Him for all our needs, He is constantly watching over us.

Psalms 121:5-8 NIV
[5]”The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; [6] the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. [7] The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; [8] the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

However, not only do we look to the Lord; we also look at Him. Jesus is our mentor, model, and example.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
[1] “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

When we gaze at His beauty in the Word, we are slowly being transformed into His likeness.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV
[18]”And we all, who with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

How wonderful are the lessons we learn about the goodness and mercy of our God as we reflect on our relationship even with a small creature like a dog.

Glimpses Of Paul

Bible Study, , , ,

GLIMPSES OF PAUL

“I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you and, even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel from God, as if I were Jesus Christ Himself. Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:12-16.

A tiny glimpse behind the scenes! Paul does not tell us much about himself in his letters. However, it is in times like these, when he is contending for the very souls of his converts, that we catch glimpses of the heart of this man.

It seems that he visited the area in Asia Minor called Galatia during a bout of sickness. In those days there was no such thing as a diagnosis. Conditions were lumped together according to their symptoms. His illness may have affected his eyes, hence his reference to the compassion of these Galatian people who would have given him their eyes if they could.

But Paul did not allow illness to rob him of the opportunity to preach Jesus to a new group of people. He did not shut himself away and feel sorry for himself. He used every opportunity to give away the message of Jesus even if it was through painful and infected eyes. Perhaps his very vulnerability made the gospel even more appealing.

Here was a man who could have been at home, taking care the needs of his family instead of facing the rigors and dangers on the road and at sea, traversing the Empire to tell people about Jesus. They listened and responded to Paul’s message, grateful for a man who was willing to risk his life for people like them. They tenderly cared for him and nursed him back to health and rewarded his suffering by joining the empire-wide community of faith.

But now? What had happened to them that they were so easily swayed by a bunch of false teachers? Had Paul not grounded them in the truths of the gospel? Were they not securely enough anchored in their faith in Jesus? It must have been extremely difficult for these new converts to stand firm against the onslaught of wickedness and religious bigotry that would have surrounded them in their society.

They had no resources to feed on as we have today; no Bible on their bedside table or bookshelf; no theologically well-educated pastor to turn to; no Google search engine to find answers at the click of a mouse. It would have been easy for them to succumb to the persuasive arguments of these false teachers.

It was up to Paul, with his clear understanding of the gospel and his ability to explain it to his readers, to draw them back to the truth in the face of the barrage of lies they were subjected to from every quarter. Paul was wise. He set out, not only to explain the Scriptures to them but also to appeal to their experience to convince them that their faith in Jesus was not a fantasy. When he preached the gospel to them, what happened? They believed the message. And then what happened? They began to change from the inside.

The Holy Spirit in them brought joy and peace to their souls; He formed the love-bond of unity and fellowship they experienced; He did miracles through them and among them; the presence of Jesus was real among them. All their old beliefs and practices began to fall away as they embraced this new life in Jesus.

But now? Somehow their attitude to Paul had changed. Paul felt it and he grieved. What had been a beautiful relationship had turned sour. They were no longer warm and friendly towards him. The atmosphere had turned hostile. It was as though they had become his enemies. Is this what the truth does when people embrace lies – turns them against Jesus and His church?

How often it happens that a spiritual leader begins to move away from the truth of the Word and entices people to follow him instead of joining them to Jesus. They insist that they are the only ones who know the truth. They twist the message of Jesus and inject just enough lies to lure people away from grace. Families and friends are divided; there is suspicion and hostility where there was once unity because the Holy Spirit is no longer active to bear witness to Jesus.

Believers beware! Never trust a spiritual leader who entices people to follow him, and who insists that he is the only one who is right. Dangerous!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.