Gallivanting Beagle
Ezekiel 34:15-16a - I myself will tend my sheep and make them lie down, declares
the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. (NIV)
Recently, a beagle wandered into our neighbourhood behaving like a lost dog.
Doubtless, in his doggy mind, he was having an adventure. Trailing a chewed-off
leash behind him, he was having the time of his doggy life. He saw absolutely no
danger in what he was doing as he explored rabbit trails, tore open and feasted
upon garbage that awaited pickup, and crossed busy streets with cheerful
abandon. But we saw the danger, even if he didn't. A car might have hit him,
unable to stop in time. The alluring rabbit trails could have contained snares
which might have caught and wounded him. The delicious-smelling garbage
certainly contained bacteria which could have made him sick. So my neighbour and
I decided to rescue him. We searched until we found his owner. It turned out
that the dog lived up the road from us, about a mile away. Although we were
concerned for his safety, the dog obviously wasn't. The owner said that he ran
away with alarming frequency.
Similarly, some believers, who wander from God, likely feel that they are having
the time of their lives. To them, it's an adventure. In their minds, they are
not lost. They perceive no danger in what they are doing. They gallivant around
and play in traffic, morally speaking, that is. They explore dangerous paths
which could lead to their ruin, and consume moral garbage with abandon, unaware
of sin's festering bacteria just waiting to infect them. Often, they repeatedly
offend against the gospel. Every time sin lures them, they gallop away from God.
They can't seem to say "no". Wanderlust seeps into their psyche and off they go,
gallivanting.
The good news is that, like a Good Shepherd, God pledged to seek these wandering
sheep until He found them. Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. The good
shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11 NIV) To seek those who
have wandered away, Jesus laid down His life on Calvary's cross, rose from the
dead, never to die again, and lives eternally at God's right hand. Only Jesus
can make that claim. No one else can. He is truly the Good Shepherd who seeks
and saves those who are plagued by wanderlust. No one need lose heart, nor fear
that they have strayed too far for Christ to find them. He never gives up the
search.
Prayer: Good Shepherd of our souls, we pray for You to bring back the wandering
ones who are lost and do not even know it. Reclaim them with Your love given
freely to those who would simply ask to be found. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Cassandra Wessel casswessel@ymail.com
Tionesta, Pennsylvania, USA
Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca