Water buffalo seem to enjoy being up to their necks in a gooey mud hole. This is because they cannot stand much exposure to the sun. In the heat of the day, their owners allow them to move to shady spots or, better yet, wallow in a nice, cool pond or mud hole. Then they enjoy buckets of water splashed on them when the mud bath is over.
In addition to serving their owners with their work, water buffalo provide nutritious milk, which is much richer than that of dairy cows, from which butter, cheese and yogurt are made. Buffalo meat is very tasty, providing steaks and hamburger. They are useful in other ways too —their hides make excellent leather, and even the big horns are used for a variety of articles.
Considering all this, it is easy to see why water buffalo are so popular in Asia, India and Africa. As an example of the value natives in several Philippine cities place on them, every May 14 is a holiday mostly in their honor. Groomed very carefully with hoofs and horns highly polished, hair trimmed and flowers draped over their necks, groups of one hundred or more are proudly paraded through the streets.
Going back to the sixth day of God’s creation, God placed these animals, along with all others, on the earth, and they were peaceful and harmless in contrast to the present state of those in the wild. That sad change began to take place after sin came into the world, and sin has affected all of God’s lovely creation ever since.
The fact that many animals have been tamed provides a little picture for us to think about. By nature we all are sinners and are far from God. But through His love we can be brought in peace to Him, by admitting we are sinners and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. Through His death on the cross, He has carried away the sins of all who will admit their sin and accept for themselves what He did on the cross. When this is done, a wonderful change takes place — much more wonderful than that of a wild water buffalo becoming a tame one. We are sure of this because the Bible says: “Therefore if any man [person] be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If you have not been changed, the Bible also says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Do not delay one minute longer! Be changed now while the opportunity is still offered to you.
ML-10/12/2003