What is it about nice people that attract total idiots?Nice people are martyrs. Idiots are evangelists.

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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Sunday Message- sleeping arrangements

Come into my bedroom on a weekend morning, and you will see two guaranteed things.  One is me, sleeping at the top of the bed, pillows piled against the headboard, built with shelves for holding lights, alarm clocks, books, and of course the jar of Vicks Vapo-Rub.  The other is Scrappy's head sticking out of the covers at my feet.  Why is it always like this?  Because the nature of man is to put himself at the top, near the things he has built.  At the point of control, as it were.  The dog's instinct is to sleep at his master's feet.

Today Pastor Jeremiah talked about a man who wrote a book about winning in business.  Apparently, he had opened the end of the book for questions, and one person asked if he thought he was going to heaven.  Paraphrasing what the Pastor quoted, the man's answer ran, if caring about others, helping my fellow man, and living life with all I've got earns you points, I have a shot.   I have a hope.

It doesn't.  Though I have heard this argument many times, the answer is still the same.  There is a black and white line for heaven.  It started when Adam and Eve, with their perfect bodies, everything they could want, and daily fellowship with God, failed.  Therefore, all have sinned, and thus fallen short of what is needed to stand before a totally Holy God.  The other side of the line is faith in Him who died for us.  But man, lying with his head against the headboard, doesn't recognize that.  He relies on what he himself can do.  He has the light, the shelves, the Vapo-Rub.  What does he need God for?

The dog, however, knows that his life is in his master's hand.  He needs his master to feed him.  To give him shelter.  To let him out.  For the good things, like treats, playing, and going for walks.  He even needs him to lift up the covers in the middle of the night so he can climb underneath and lay at his feet.  He realizes this, and accepts it.  Not with resentment, but with love.  With dependence.  With joy at his master's approach and comfort at his side.  He never says to himself, "If my master was good, he would allow me to come and go as I please."  He never says, "I'm the one who walks out through the door, I consume the food, I decide on the toy, therefore my master doesn't really exist."  He just lays at those feet every night and thinks life is good.  And it is.  Because he knows as long as he stays at those feet, he'll be provided for.  He'll be rewarded- even sometimes when he doesn't deserve it.

So, am I going to switch ends of the bed?  Of course not.  But if I did, Scrappy would be able to go up and lay on the pillows.  Would he?  In a second, trust me.  I've found him on the pillows after 2 AM bathroom trips many times.  Now Jesus?  He DID switch ends... He came to earth as man, that we might gain heaven.  He opened the way for we dogs to sleep on the pillows.

One more thing I notice.  When Scrappy was young, he would wake at first light, come up to my head, rubbing, loving licking, trying to get me to get up.  Now that he's an "old man", he's more likely to wait until I move to come out from under his warm covers.  In that, I take after him.  I spend a lot of time waiting for God to move before I do.  I don't get near as excited for each new day.  And yet, once I do move, I still expect to be "let out", to "be fed", to "go for a walk".  Scrappy still rubs, licks, loves, but usually it's when he's trying to speed up the process of getting all these things.  It occurs to me that someone needs to re-learn how to wake up properly.  And it ain't the dog.

15 comments:

  1. At the things he has built?
    I have it on good authority that you didn't build that.
    Okay, it's not on good authority.
    And I don't believe him.

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    1. Uh, dude? "Man" built, not "the man in the bed." Because he is sleeping.

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  2. Wow! Really good one, Brother Martin.

    Probably my favorite "Sunday Message" from you... ever!

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

    POSTSCRIPT:
    Off to sleep by my headboard now.

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    1. Thank you. Laurie had a similar comment. Maybe a case of KISS.

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  3. No, for me I don't think it's so much a case of KISS as it is the great analogies of the headboard, sleeping at the master's feet, and then pointing out that Jesus chose the lower portion when He could have and should have been at the headboard. That is, our Holy King and Savior voluntarily took on the part of "a servant".

    That was just a brilliant analogy and your writing flowed along so well, it was like a soothing stream of words running to an ocean of great Truth.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Well, I've always known God works best when I work least, and by the comments, I think this was an A+ example of that.

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  4. I think this is my favorite post from you, Chris. I alway thoroughly enjoy your Sunday posts the most because you speak so freely of God. This one was written so well (not that the others aren't ha ha). I loved the comparison you did. It fits perfectly.

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    1. As always, I won't take credit. It was God and dog.

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  5. One of my favorite posts as well. My puppy Jax likes to be right in the middle under the covers on my leg.

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    1. Scrappy starts there too, but he ends up with his head out the bottom. You'd think I fart in bed or something.

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  6. This was brilliantly said. If the local pastor gave talks like this I might actually attend church. And I don't mean that facetiously either. I was born into the Catholic church, so you know, that whole monotone fire and brimstone thing is more of their angle as opposed to relating to our faithful animals and how we can better serve Christ.

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    1. I get the feeling from this comment and the one on next Sunday's message that the Catholic parish I grew up in and the one you did had vastly different foci. But then, I see that a lot from Catholics outside our area. The stories I hear make me SMH.

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  7. I am slowly catching up on reading your blog. I started with yesterday's and of course, my interest was aroused so had to jump back to this one.

    What a great analogy! The lesson flowed straight from the virtual paper and into my heart. Definitely a God thing going on with this post :)

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    1. Thank you, ma'am. It was indeed his work and not mine. (God's, that is, and not Scrappy's).

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