Today I want to tell you a story.

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A few years ago, a neighbor found a dog. This dog was barely holding on. It had sores and gashes, abrasions and lacerations. It was so skinny you could see its heart beating, and its stomach was sunk in, and it could barely breathe. One of its eyes was shut with some kind of infection, and the other was glassy and white-looking. They thought he was blind.

These particular neighbors were mature in age, but they cared for anyone and anything that they came into contact with. But this dog was the first that they may have had to turn away, yet they just couldn’t.

Greg, the owner of the home, stared at Margaret with heartbroken eyes as she stared back at him with tears in her eyes, heartbroken over the sight they both beheld. She looked at her husband and, with a mumbled voice, said, “What should we do?” knowing in her heart that this dog was close to death.

Greg said, “Whatever we can do, as long as we do it together.”

So they put on gloves and a mask and cleaned up this broken dog as much as they could, cleaning and bandaging his wounds and washing him where they could. They tried to feed him, but he wouldn’t eat.

This happened for a few days, and as they were about to take him to be put down, he gave off a loud bark and got up and started to eat. Joy filled their hearts, and hope began to strengthen within them.

By the next day, he was drinking and moving about mostly on his own, with a small limp. They removed his bandages and replaced them, and a few days later they decided that they should name this dog. But they both didn’t have the right name.

After a few days, they removed his bandages, and he was mostly healed up, so they decided to allow the once-open wounds to breathe and get fresh air. As they sat down in the backyard watching him explore his new environment, Margaret looked at Greg and said, “What about Bruno?”

Greg responded and said, “Bruno… that’s a fitting name, my dear.”

A month went by, and Bruno was a completely different dog than the one that had wandered into their yard broken and battered. After a while, Bruno was a part of the family.

One night, Bruno went out of the gate, not to return for a few days. This was troubling to Greg and Margaret. They searched and searched for Bruno but couldn’t find him. They were heartbroken because Bruno was family.

A week went by, and nothing.

One evening, Bruno scratched at the door, and when they opened the door, they were aghast. Bruno was bruised, bleeding, and very hurt. Greg and Margaret helped Bruno inside and immediately began to care for him. Once again, he was barely hanging on.

After a few weeks, Bruno was once healthy again and enjoyed his return home. Greg and Margaret weren’t people to lock up or force anyone, or any animal, they ever helped, but they did think about it because they loved Bruno so much. But Bruno loved to be free, and they loved him to be free.

This time, Bruno stayed for a while. He slept with them, ate dinner with them, went on walks in the park with them, and even went to Greg’s battle buddy meetings at church with him.

One day, Greg and Margaret ran off to the market to get food for Bruno, and when they returned, he was gone. They started a search party and searched for him for weeks, and he was nowhere to be found.

Months went by, and still no Bruno. Greg and Margaret lost hope and figured Bruno was gone for good, and from history, he was known to be very hurt. This grieved them deeply.

Four months went by, and still no Bruno.

One day, Greg was on the way home from his battle buddies meeting, and he saw a dog laying on the sidewalk that looked like Bruno. But this dog was surrounded by some bad-looking people. But Greg wasn’t afraid. He was a veteran who had been on many tours and came back.

He approached the people, and they taunted and jeered at him, threw things at him, and threatened him. But as he stood his ground, he realized that the dog he was looking at was Bruno.

He became angry and yelled at them and said, “That’s no way to treat a dog!”

He called Bruno, and Bruno tried to come but couldn’t.

Greg left, and later that evening he returned with the police and some of his battle buddies, but the bad group had left, and some were sleeping on the ground. They got Bruno and left, but before Greg left, he left a note saying, “If this dog comes back to you in good shape, you are to send him home, or you will be arrested and thrown in jail.”

So Greg took Bruno and carried him off.

As he pulled in the driveway, Margaret was watching, and she was filled with joy. Although Bruno was hurt, she was confident he would be better again.

So again, they nursed Bruno back to health, and Bruno was the talk of the town.

This time, Bruno stayed for a long time, about a year, and right before Christmas, Bruno disappeared again. Greg and Margaret were puzzled because Bruno kept leaving and getting hurt, and they wondered why he would not just stay put.

So Greg headed out to the park where the bad group was, and they said they hadn’t seen him. When they got back home, no Bruno.

Bruno was gone for a few days. They were worried.

That night, they heard a bark in the yard, and it was Bruno. He was healthy and walked in and went to sleep.

The next morning, Bruno was there, and every morning.

You see, Bruno decided in his heart that what was familiar wasn’t good, and what was good was different, because he didn’t know what good was.

Folks, we are Bruno.

We go back to our sin and filth. Like the Bible says, we return to our vomit like dogs.

Proverbs 26:11

“As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.”

2 Peter 2:22

“But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again…”

God is a good God. He cares for us, nurses us back to health, and sets us on the right path, but He doesn’t force us to stay. We need to see His goodness and compassion for us and His love, and choose to be loyal and serve Him.

Romans 2:4

“…the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.”

Psalm 23:3

“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Choosing to serve God is a massive commitment.

Joshua 24:15

“…choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Luke 9:23

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

I tried to chase a career and my own dreams and the corporate job, and I can’t do both.

Matthew 6:24

“No man can serve two masters… Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Mark 8:36

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

That’s why the Bible says after we are given new life, old things pass away. The things we want and desire no longer matter more than giving our whole heart and fire and desires to God, allowing Him to use what He has given us.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Galatians 2:20

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…”

Romans 12:1

“…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

So folks, here are a few practical steps.

Take time to be quiet without distractions before God every day. I know this is hard because we are now wired to create noise instead of seek the signal.

Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God…”

John 10:27

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

You need to journal, get your thoughts out on paper. We have so much bottled up that we can’t even hear God’s voice.

Habakkuk 2:2

“Write the vision, and make it plain…”

Psalm 62:5

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”

Read and study a scripture, and break it down so that you can apply it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable… that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

James 1:22

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Share it with someone. When you share, you believe it in a different way.

Hebrews 3:13

“But exhort one another daily… lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations… teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”

Prayer

Lord God, our good Provider, Father, Friend, and Comforter, help us to continually submit our hearts and minds to You each day, as many times as we need to. Help us to stop and pause and take time to be still with You and to hear You in this anxious and noisy environment we call life.

Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God…”

Philippians 4:6-7

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Lord, You are the Creator of time. You are not governed by it, but we have been imprisoned by it. Help us to release our contract to our time and renounce our agreements with jobs, people, hobbies, sins, demonic desires, and come into agreement and rest in Your presence.

Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…”

Romans 6:12-14

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body… For sin shall not have dominion over you…”

Lord, Your Word requires us to rest and to seek You, and You will give us what we are trying to fit into our lives in a specific time.

Matthew 6:33

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Jeremiah 29:13

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Exodus 20:8-10

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy…”

Lord, help us to give You back Your creation of time with submission of our hearts to You, O Lord Jesus.

Amen.