Bogus was a sheep dog that worked on a large sheep ranch in Montana. Puppies born on sheep ranches are trained from a young age to obey the herder and to guard the sheep at all times.
When Bogus was six months old, he had the looks of a fine sheep dog — smart, strong and eager to please his master. He was given to a herder to train at a sheep camp in the mountains, far from the home ranch.
But Bogus’s master turned out to be a cruel man. Another herder who worked for the same ranch, named Sandy, discovered this problem. His sheep camp had been near to Bogus’s camp all winter, and the dog had shown up several times whimpering, with a rope around its neck. Something was wrong.
Sandy asked the boss if he could trade dogs with the cruel herder. The boss said yes, so Bogus became Sandy’s dog. This made the other herder angry, and he quit working for that ranch.
Sandy won the dog’s trust and love slowly. Bogus worked hard and took good care of Sandy’s sheep until one day when a bear came into the herd. Sandy got his gun and fired a shot at the bear. Frightened by the gunshot, Bogus took off into the hills, leaving the sheep to scatter. He didn’t come back for a whole day. Sandy lost two lambs to the bear that day.
Sandy remembered that there was an old bullet wound on Bogus’s hip which showed that the other herder must have shot at the dog. No wonder Bogus was afraid of guns! But a dog who is afraid of guns is no use as a sheep dog. He can’t be depended on. Sadly, Sandy had to get a new dog. Worse yet, the boss was planning to shoot Bogus to get rid of him. Thankfully, when Bogus saw the gun, he ran away.
All summer, as Sandy herded his sheep in the mountain pastures, he saw signs that Bogus was around, but he saw him only once.
One day, the flock startled a mother bear and her cubs in a meadow high up on the mountain. Then one of Sandy’s dogs unwisely chased a cub, which made the mother bear angry. She chased the dog, which turned and headed straight for the sheep! Sandy quickly fired his gun at the bear and then she turned and started toward him!
As Sandy ran forward to take closer aim, he tripped and fell and the gun was knocked from his hands. He shut his eyes as the huge bear came charging on. Suddenly, he heard a familiar bark and snarl and looked up to see Bogus hurtling his body toward the mother bear! They fought, snarling, biting and clawing, each getting bloody wounds and gashes. This gave Sandy the time he needed to reach for his gun and shoot
the bear.
Bogus tried to get up and come to Sandy but he couldn’t because of his injuries. Sandy went to him and Bogus licked his hand, even though he still held the gun!
This story has a happy ending. The dog’s wounds soon healed and he worked for Sandy on into his old age, cured forever of the fear of guns that had made him useless earlier. We can see how the love that Sandy had shown Bogus helped him to overcame his fear of guns and of his old cruel master.
This story is a little picture of how much the Lord Jesus loves you. People who don’t know the Lord Jesus have a cruel master called Satan. But thankfully, the Lord Jesus loved you enough to die so He could rescue you from Satan. Unlike Sandy, who couldn’t help Bogus completely, the Lord Jesus didn’t stop until He had fully paid the price for sins, to deliver those who receive Him from that cruel master. He says this: “The thief [Satan] [comes] ... to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd [gives] His life for the sheep” (John 10:10-1110The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:10‑11)). Have you taken this good shepherd, who has so much to give you, to be your very own? And are you letting Him lead you through your life? You can trust the One who died for you!
Messages of God’s Love 12/5/2021