It was fun to watch our collie, Thane, playing with our white, male Pekin duck. When Thane came close to the pond, the duck would fly out of the water directly at the dog, trying to protect the female ducks. Thane would dance around the duck, sometimes taking the duck’s head or wing in his mouth, but never harming it. It was a game with him, lasting about ten minutes before the duck got tired and went back in the water. This game was played two or three times a week.
One day we got a call from a lady whose husband ran the livestock sale barn, which was about three quarters of a mile from our house. She said that our dog had killed some of her ducks. I didn’t think that our Thane was guilty, mostly because of his gentleness with our duck. I told her this, but she insisted it was our dog. She claimed that she had followed the collie for a few blocks, and he was heading towards our place.
Since she was so upset, whether she was right or wrong, I felt, as a Christian, I must keep peace with these people. So I drove over there with Thane in the car, and the husband said, “Yes, he is the dog we saw chasing our ducks.” I asked what it would cost to replace the ducks, and he said he guessed it would be $20. I paid him the money and told him that if the dog bothered his ducks again, he had the right to shoot him as a danger to his ducks.
From that time on we kept Thane chained up, and we heard nothing from the duck owners for some time. Then one day the phone rang, and the voice on the other end said, “My husband just shot your dog. Come and pick him up!”
I replied, “It is not my dog, because he is chained out in the yard and I am looking at him right now.”
There was a long silence on the other end, and then she stammered, “Well, it must be that other collie down on Main Street.” That was the last word we heard of the killer collie.
Proverbs 13:1515Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard. (Proverbs 13:15) tells us, “The way of transgressors [sinners] is hard.” The Main Street collie that paid with his life for his bad deeds proved this. The way of the transgressor is the way of every person who has not had his sins washed away in the precious blood of Christ. God’s Word plainly tells us, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)).
Yes, I paid for the bad deeds of a dog that was not mine, and someone else paid a great price for sins that were not His own. Christ Jesus was sinless, and He willingly went to Calvary’s cross to pay the price for the sins of every person who will accept Him as Saviour. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities [sins]; the chastisement [punishment] of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:55But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)). This verse tells us that God placed our sins on His Son on the cross and punished Him in our place. Those who believe in His finished work can now have peace with God because their sins are gone forever. If you will not personally accept what He did for you, you will have to pay for your sins yourself.
Do you suppose that there will be any mistaken identity of believers by the Lord Jesus? This is what He says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-2827My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27‑28)). What a wonderful promise, that our sins have been completely paid for—forever!
Are you one of His own? Have you accepted personally that Christ Jesus’ work and death on the cross was for your sins?
ML-02/08/2009