With few exceptions, dogs are among the most outstanding of all animals, and they have amazing ways of showing their many skills and abilities.
What other creature can match the faithful loyalty of a dog to its master, no matter what kind of person he or she may be? Most people will avoid a drunk person asleep on a sidewalk or in a dirty alley-but not so with his dog. It will stay by him in daylight or darkness, rain or shine, and guard him from harm.
Or what better care could a blind person have than that of a seeing eye dog as it leads him or her safely across streets, on and off buses, in and out of buildings, always ready to help its blind master.
Think of how a dog can find its way, traveling by foot great distances where it has never been before, perhaps footsore and starving, back to its master who has abandoned it hundreds of miles from home.
For another example of their skills, let's look at sheep dogs and the duties they carry out so well. There are many breeds that can do this work and prove very helpful to the shepherd. The Border Collie is the one used most in England and America. Sheep dogs are very necessary where sheep graze in open fields. Training for this work starts while the dogs are still puppies, and they soon become skilled at rounding up sheep that stray from the flock. In addition to what they do without having to be told, their master may signal them to drive the flock out to pasture, keep them in a special place, or bring them back to the corral. The master's signals, which may be by voice, arm motions or different whistles, instruct the dogs to turn the flock left or right, ahead or back, wherever the master wants them to graze. Trained dogs can even separate one half of the flock to one place and the other half elsewhere. Their amazing abilities in this work are wonderful to see.
God told Adam to "have dominion over... every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:2828And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:28)), but when sin came into the world that privilege was spoiled in many ways. However, God has graciously permitted man to have authority over dogs and some other animals. We should be grateful to Him for this kindness.
But above all else, we should thank Him that through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, each of us may have forgiveness of our sins and the promise of everlasting life with Him in heaven. Do you have this forgiveness for your sins?