So Much Easier

Frenchie is our seven-month-old Bichon puppy. Yesterday he had a minor surgical procedure. Today, as expected, he’s a bit under the weather and needs help from Nancy and me to do for him things he normally does for himself, such as keeping him clean after toileting, and carrying him from place to place when he is too tired to walk any further. We also keep him in a soft collar to prevent him from licking the surgical site.

Thankfully, Frenchie has been very compliant with everything we have to do for him and to him. And we do not doubt that the reason for his compliance is that he has learned over the several months he has been in our home that he can trust us.

I need to repeat that: He has learned he can trust us.

The point? Let me first digress a few moments before I get to it. I want to share with you what the Lord told me this morning as I read through the last few chapters of Acts. What He said dovetails precisely to what He later said to me about Frenchie.

For two weeks a violent storm had kept the ship on which Paul and the others were sailing in its destructive grip. The sailors, soldiers, and prisoners had given up all hope for being saved. They expected to die.

And then, at the height of their hopelessness, St Paul spoke out: “Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me . . ..” (Acts 27:22-23)

As I read the vignette my eye focused on verse 23. Look at it with me again: “For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me . . ..” And then I focused on the phrase: “Of the God to whom I belong . . . .”

Paul belonged to God. More to the point, Paul KNEW he belonged to God. And that message has an important application for us today who also know we belong to God.

The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) In context, Jesus was speaking of wealth – that if we focus on wealth then our lives wrap themselves in its pursuit. However, it does no injustice to the text in Matthew if we connect what Jesus said about treasure with what Paul said about the angel who stood before him on that floundering ship:

If you belong to God through faith in His sacrificial offering of His Son, then YOU are God’s treasure. And because you are God’s treasure, you have God’s heart. He is, in a sense, wrapped up in pursuing you, finding you, and bringing you home.

God said of Israel that she was the ‘apple of His eye’ (Zechariah 2:8). It is equally true that YOU, Christian, are also the apple of His eye. YOU have God’s heart. You are His treasure.

Now, back to Frenchie.

Earlier this morning as I placed the soft collar around his neck (which he clearly would rather not wear) I said to him: “Frenchie, it sure is easy to take care of you because you trust me.” And immediately the Holy Spirit broke into my thoughts: “Yes, Richard, it sure would be easier to take care of you if you trusted Me.”

Wow.

What could I say in response? He is so right.

Christian! When will we get it? When will we finally receive it and keep it in our souls that we BELONG to God? We are His treasure. We are where His heart is. You and I are the apple of His eye. Oh, don’t you think life would be much easier if we simply trusted Him as easily as a puppy trusts his loving owner?

Oh, Holy Spirit, once again we ask You – increase our faith.