The Ballestero Blog

My Dog Doesn’t Like Being A Dog Anymore!

Rusty And The Love Of His Life… Marcia Ballestero

My dog doesn’t like being a dog anymore. Some might even say that he is going through an identity crisis. It’s so obvious that even a non-professional picks up on the situation. The canine in our house is currently choosing not to act like a dog anymore.

Little 6 lb. Rusty thinks he is human. He seems to enjoy passing himself off as a person, rather than a puppy.

For a short time, he seemingly enjoyed just being a puppy. He had his own puppy food, puppy toys, puppy snacks, puppy playpen, puppy bed, puppy stroller, puppy travel crate, and puppy play area. He was a happy and contented little pooch.

But, Rusty’s whole world has now changed. It changed when he tasted a bit of people food. Once he found out what people ate, his food didn’t taste as good to him as it used to. Whenever he now sees us seated at the table, he stands on his short hind legs and taps us on our legs to get our attention. He never gives up or stops trying until he is rewarded.

It didn’t stop with the food issue. He feels that if his mistress is sitting on a comfortable couch, that is where he should be, too. Oh, and now the bed. Yes! He doesn’t like his bed now. He wants to be on the same bed as his master.

Before you criticize Rusty, please be aware that he is just like you. You were happy being a sinner until you tasted of heavenly things. No wonder David wrote: Psalms 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good…”

Once you have tasted of the mercies and goodness of the Lord and have sat together with him in heavenly places, you come into His presence, and He can tell by the look in your eyes that you are not identifying as the dog you used to be, but you want to be like Him; You want to eat Angel food, rest in His arms, and be comforted by His care.

Once you have been baptized in Jesus’ Name and been filled with the Holy Ghost, your nature changes. You won’t want to be a dog anymore!

Guest Blog

by

Pastor Dennis Morris

Soooo!

A few years ago I was looking for a Jeep to put a plow on for our church lot, I called Eld. Vanslyke to ask what model he had and he said, “Why don’t you buy mine?” So I bought a Jeep from Eld. Vanslyke. When I got it home I found the floor under the passenger seat had a rusty hole big enough to throw a Coon through and when I took the seat out to fix it, the seat was held in with two vise grips. By then I’m laughing my head off. I called him to kid him and when I told him about the floor, he said “Sooooo?” I didn’t get it till mentioned the vise grips and he repeated his first answer, “Soooo?”
Then I got it! I wanted a short Jeep, I got one! I fixed it and it worked great!

Thusly “If we want Salvation, God provides it! If the life around it has a hole in the floor and jury-rigged seats, Soooo? Just get busy and adjust life to fit salvation!

There’s an old saying, “Gettin’ old ain’t for sissy’s!” Well, living for God ain’t either! God isn’t looking for trained soldiers he wants servants that will serve in whatever circumstances He calls them into. He doesn’t just save the able, but He will enable the saved!

The question is not, Can we be saved? The question is, Will we have the intestinal fortitude to use and apply what God gives us to get the job done? He did promise to throughly furnish us to do good works!

Eden was ideal, a paradise, but the tempter was still able to sneak in and cause a problem! God provides all things good but we need to realize that a covenant requires two and both have to keep their part of the bargain. All God required of Adam and Eve was don’t eat from that tree! Easy as pie! Not forbidden fruit pie either… What did they do? Got themselves kicked out of paradise. PLEASE don’t think if you had a perfect environment, it would be a cinch to live for God. The Flesh is flesh, get the whiff? By the way, if you want to be a missionary don’t bother to put Eden on your application as a place you’re willing to go. It had to be relocated because of a lack of interest.

The ark didn’t smell good and probably wasn’t comfortable either but nobody jumped out! The main reason for the ark was to save Noah and his family not to be a luxury touring vessel. For them to file a complaint because it was uncomfortable would have been ludicrous, to say the least. IT SAVED THEIR LIVES, PEOPLE! Mission accomplished. By the by, the animals were kept to save their lives, too. God really wants us to be saved, also. He’s got all the bases covered, trust Him.

The scriptures about the “Great House” let us know everything isn’t perfect there either. (VESSELS OF DISHONOR… really?) If we want to be saved, we can, in spite of the flaws and bad smells. Some of the responsibility for cleaning up the mess in the house is up to us. Could be if we sniff around a little bit we might discover the problem is us. It does say to qualify as a vessel of honor we need to purge ourselves. That’s clean up! Don’t dirty yourself and complain that something stinks. Don’t be the problem. Be part of the solution. It’s a GREAT HOUSE! Be thankful you’re allowed in the door.

Paul said to stay in the ship and live! They didn’t like it and some doubted and complained, they were battered, soaked, saltwater chafed, hungry and thirsty but everyone survived! Not too shabby Paul!

Even the group Jesus assembled had complainers, jealousy, animosity and the worst, there was a traitor! Yes, One of the disciples that Jesus chose was a bad apple but it didn’t stop Jesus or the Apostles from completing the mission they were called for. Oh, Instead of calling Judas a bad apple, I should’ve called him a “Forbidden Fruit“!

Soooo, in spite of the flaws and bad smells! This God idea called the Church works!

Though life sometimes can be difficult the Scripture still says “Let us go on unto perfection“!

I mean, after all, we are all just a piece of work… in progress!