Jehovah – Jireh – Thursday

Content

One of my hobbies is hunting quail. I have done it for many years and the key to having a good hunt is having a good bird dog. Over the years I have had dog of different breeds. Some were smart, some were very dumb, some were great hunters and some were not. You really never know what you are going to get.

That was the case with Lefty, a Llewellin Setter that I received as a gift from a friend. He was 49 days old when I picked him up and although his mother was a great hunter, his dad was unproven. Only time would tell. I had Lefty for 13 years and he and I became very close. He was an average hunting dog but a great friend and over the years, he and I would spend a lot of time together hunting and just hanging out. I taught him everything I could about hunting and in the process he showed me somethings about life and God. Let me share it with you.

The only thing that bird dogs love more than hunting is eating. During hunting season, they burn a lot of calories and eat three to four times their normal intake so feeding time is pretty important. They can eat an entire bowl of food in seconds without ever stopping. It is a site to see. But Lefty was different.

Most dogs that I’ve had at feeding time would jump, spin and bark waiting for their food. They would usually not even wait until all of the food was in their bowls to start eating. They would start as soon as the first pellets hit the bowl, leaving the rest to bounce off of their heads and onto the kennel floor. They would spend the remainder of their meal searching around the kennel for every piece.

But not Lefty. When I would go to feed him, he would sit by his bowl, wait for all of it to be poured and then, would not eat until I petted him. Then, he would devour all of his food. He did this all of his life and it took me a while to realize what was happening. Lefty, liked me and food but me the most; feeding time was time to be with me. I believe that Lefty knew where the food came from and in a “dog way” was grateful.

The other dogs, they didn’t care, they just wanted more and never had the relationship that Lefty and I had.

Application

That is how we are most of the time. The Bible says that “every good gift comes from God.” Look around your house, aren’t there good gifts that you have? Have you ever stopped to realize that all you have is from God? Have you ever taken the time to count your blessings and stop before you ask for more and spend some time with God.

Prayer

Today God, I recognize that everything I have is from you and thank you for providing for me. You are a good God who gives good gifts to Your children.