Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Nehemiah 1-4
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Luke 14:3-5
Jesus: Is it permitted by traditions and the Hebrew Scriptures to heal people on the Sabbath, or is it forbidden?
They didn’t reply. Then Jesus healed the man and sent him on his way.
Jesus: Would any single one of you leave his son or even his ox in a well on the Sabbath if he had fallen into it, or would you pull him out immediately?
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Put together this time of year and Jesus words and it reminds me of a series of commercial spots I really don’t like. It’s not that they’re bad commercials and it’s not that I don’t like what they’re doing. But it’s the whole premise that comes across when you watch these commercials and especially when you talk with some of the real die-hards of the organization that promotes the commercials.
You’ve seen them. You can’t help but see them. They spend a lot of money getting them into prime time. There it is, that sad looking puppy locked in a cage begging for a home. The ASPCA and it’s sister organizations use Christmas carols and old hymns playing in the background to capture the Christian community and play on emotions as if dogs and cats were people. They are not. They are sometimes lovable companions, but they are still animals, not people. God gave us dominion over all the animals of the earth. They are not our equals as many in some of those organizations would have us believe.
I think Jesus would probably point to those commercials and ask, “Where are the commercials about rescuing the hungry and the enslaved? Where are the commercials about helping the orphans and widows? Where are the commercials about just showing kindness to your neighbors?”
It’s not that adopting an abused animal is bad, it’s not. But when we put more emphasis on abused animals that we do abused children, something is wrong. When we get more irritated an animals that have been killed than policemen that have been killed, our society is out of wack. When murder no longer shocks us, we have fallen far from where God wants us to be.
If you haven’t seen one of the ASPCA commercials today, you will before the week is out. They come up too frequently for you to miss them. I hope it will shock you into thinking not about animals that need a home, but about people that need a home. People that need a friendly face. People that need a warm meal and a blanket. People that need a loving hand to reach out to them and tell them they matter.
We have opportunities every day to reach out and show God’s love to others. You don’t have to adopt someone or take someone on as a full time project to show God’s love, but He might ask you to. All of us can smile and give a warm touch. All of us can be kind instead of rude. All of us can share the fruit of the spirit where we go. Whether at home, in the office, or on the freeway, there are opportunities to let God’s love shine through you today. Don’t miss those opportunities. You never know when that special moment is the one that God uses to touch the heart of one of His children and transforms them by the power of His spirit.
What a marvelous gift that would be if you could be part of rescuing a lost soul instead of a lost pet. Helping a wayward soul find their way into the kingdom instead of helping a dog find its way into a house. What a difference it would make if instead of spending all that time and energy and effort saving animals, we would spend that same time and energy and effort introducing people to the One who can save their soul.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against helping animals. I have two dogs myself, one of which is a rescued dog. But lets make sure we keep people and animals in the right perspective this Christmas season. Let those ASPCA commercials tug at your heart strings, but let them remind you of the many people who need rescuing at this time of year.
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