I always like to start with something personal, so please bear it with me!
Recent studies have shown that dogs are the most popular pets in the world. This led to non-dog owners asking how dogs have made people’s lives better.
Personally, I think every dog I had made a significant contribution to the quality of my life and to my Christian faith.
Let me tell you about my first dog. Back then, I was shy, alone and going through what I think was depression. Then, I got my pup and the first few months of having her felt like a huge mistake. She cried a lot. She didn’t bark at strangers. She was lazy and a real coward. I spent a lot of time turning my back on her. I was bathing and feeding her, but I refused to play with her. While I was acting cold with her, she was all loving with me. She would always sit by the gate of my house to wait for my arrival from work. She didn’t receive any training, but she would sense my sadness and sit next to me, in perfect silence, offering her support. She was ready to give her life to protect me. And, so, my first dog made me understand the meaning of 1 John 3: 18 (“let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”)
When I came back from overseas, I received another pup and I had a very close bond with him. Because of his very curious and outgoing nature, he was willing to participate in anything. Even if I had only been away from the house for an hour, he would always greet me with enthusiasm. He was very cheerful, always fun to play with and as he got older –mind you – he became way more energetic. The oddest things would set her energy and happiness on and even I started rejoicing over every little thing. Somehow, he taught me to always rejoice (1 Thessalonians 5: 16- 18.)
Just like us, dogs are also creatures of God and there’s every chance that God could use them today to accomplish His purpose in our lives.
Enoch
According to Biblical scriptures, Enoch is the great- great- great- great- great-grandson of Adam (and also the great grandfather of Noah) – what a lineage! – who was very faithful to God. In fact, he is mentioned specifically in the Bible because of his great faith towards the Almighty. Almost every believer knows his name as the man who led a holy life and pleased God.
“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
– From Hebrews 11:5-6
”It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
– From Jude 1:14-16
Caleb
As another faithful man of God, Caleb is mostly remembered as one of the spies sent by Moses to the land of Canaan.
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”
– From Numbers 13: 30
