The little dog had no home, and he wandered the streets of a small town in Spain, always looking for food. Often he waited outside restaurants, hoping someone might throw him a scrap to eat. He was a lonely, hungry little dog, with no owner and no warm place to sleep. We call that kind of dog a stray.
I was a “stray” at one time, even though I had a warm home and parents who loved me very much and made sure I never went hungry. But I was a “stray” because of my sins. I had strayed from the God who loved me and wanted to make me one of His children. It was my sins that made me stray away from Him, so He sent His Son to come looking for me.
But no one was looking for the little stray dog that often hung around a coffee shop in the town. Now and then customers who stopped in for coffee or a bite to eat would throw a little food to the dog when they left.
Mr. and Mrs. Fifield, a couple from the United States, were with a group of visitors taking a bike tour of the countryside near the small town where the little dog was living. The group stopped by the coffee shop and couldn’t help but notice the sad-looking, skinny, shaking, little dog hanging around the door. They noticed how the dog looked up at every customer that came out of the coffee shop, his eyes begging for food. The visitors asked the coffee shop owner about the dog, because they felt sorry for him. The store owner said the dog was a stray, and he called the dog “Bandito,” because he begged for scraps of food from the customers as they left.
Mr. and Mrs. Fifield couldn’t seem to forget about the sad, hungry little stray. The next morning they decided to rescue Bandito and take him home with them, even though they lived in the United States. But first they had to find him again.
They took a taxi back to the small town and walked the streets, looking for Bandito. He wasn’t in front of the coffee shop that morning. But as they came around a corner, there he was sitting by a bakery, begging for something to eat from customers who came out of the bakery.
I was just like Bandito when I was away from God. I was always looking for things to make me happy, but what I found were only scraps that didn’t keep me happy for very long. Those sins of mine were always bothering me and keeping me away from God who loved me. But He was watching me and knew I needed His Son Jesus to take away my sins.
My parents took me to Sunday school, and one of the Bible verses I learned was, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)). I also learned that Jesus died on the cross for me and wanted to wash my sins away. I only needed to tell Him that I was very sorry for my sins and that I wanted Him to take them all away. I believed He could do that because another verse in the Bible says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). I came to the Lord Jesus in prayer, telling Him about my sins and that I believed His blood would wash them all away. Then I knew my sins were gone! I was no longer a stray, and I belonged to Him and would someday live in heaven, as He promised. The Lord Jesus had found me and saved me from my sins. What a happy change came into my life!
And now that Mr. and Mrs. Fifield had found Bandito, they gathered up the little dog in their arms. They found an animal doctor who could give him the vaccinations he must have and also a passport for him to enter the United States. Bandito was ready for his plane ride to his new home!
Bandito shares his new home with four children who will love him just like they love their other three dogs. He will never go hungry again, and he will always have a warm place to sleep. What a happy change came into that little dog’s life!
Bandito is no longer a stray and neither am I. What about you? Would you like to have a happy change in your life that only the Lord Jesus can give you?
ML-03/25/2007