Yesterday Hamish was given a big beef knuckle raw bone.  He loved it and was obsessed with it, burying it then carrying it around.  He managed to sneak it in to the family room, covered in soil and plop it down on our light beige coloured carpet before I noticed!  Anthony came home and Hamish went running to him, then Hamish immediately went running to the beloved bone, took it and ran and dropped it at Anthony’s feet.   ‘Here master this is my bone, it’s yours.’  Hamish was wagging his tail and excited when he gave up his bone even though he loved it.

What a beautiful picture that is for us, to be reminded of whatever we have, whatever we love, it’s God’s.  We should be bringing everything before God’s feet, willing to give it up, if God can use something better elsewhere.  God may like Anthony, say ‘I don’t want it this time, or much of it but thank you for bringing it to me.’  It can be time, money, interests, anything we have.  Willing to give up everything, at anytime purely because God is our master and it’s His to begin with, as He first give it to us.  We gave Hamish the bone first, but he was willing to give it back to His master. 

We know God is a good master, a very loving one only wanting the best for us and He sees the bigger picture.  Hamish loves Anthony and was excited to see Him.  Are we like that, just so pleased to experience God we put EVERYTHING at His feet, excited to see what God will say to us even if it’s to take some of our time away to do work for Him or more money to do something for Him?  Do we ‘leave’ God ‘wagging our tail’ happy if He does take something, excited as something better will happen or like a dog, not think about what their master will do with something but just happy that they helped?

May we be more like our dogs in this aspect, so trusting and loving.  How often do we have our grubby little paws gripping onto something, reluctant to give over our loved ones, or things to God. And yet He is God – the most perfect loving example of what true, unselfish love really is and yet we still don’t trust Him sometimes.   Let us give up our ‘bone’ to God, whatever that may be today.

Hamish is 3 today!  I thought I'd share with you, some of his previous birthdays with you.  The video is when he was 1, the cookies when he was 2.  He wasn't naughty, the first video didn't work out so this was a redo.

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

So when is your birthday, the important one?

There may not have been a time and day you can point to, knowing you were saved from an eternal existence without God.  It may have been an unfolding experience, but as long as you can say today that you accepted Jesus as your personal saviour, believe in Him and want to follow Him, then that is what is important.  But roughly most people know how many years they have a restored relationship with God.

Looking at Hamish knowing he is 3 started me thinking about dog years.  Dogs in their comparable short lives to humans grow up so fast.  Our new birthday is sort of like it.  Compared to eternity the time we live here, is so short and yet this is our preparation for eternity.  Our choices and what we do here, does matter.

It also doesn’t matter if you come to believe in Jesus when you are 80 as you can have a powerful impact on those around you when you talk about Jesus.  So when we think about our new birthday, even if we are ‘old’ having been saved for many years, may we all have a renewed sense of our short life and a view on eternity, making a most of every opportunity.  Let me wish you a 'happy new birthday' to whenever you were born again, let’s rejoice and what a great idea for a party. Let's party!

Hamish will be 3 this weekend; and he still acts like a puppy.  When he goes into the cloakroom/restroom a lot of the time he grabs the towel then runs away with it.  He wants me to chase him.  He does this with the kitchen towel as well.  We can’t put the kitchen towel over the edge of the sink but it has to be way back from the edge in the middle of the counter and he still sometimes get it.  I know it’s just to get my attention if he is bored.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."   Ephesians 6:18

How wonderful we don’t have to do tricks or try to get God’s attention like some young kids or dogs do with us.

God is the greatest multi-tasker there is!  His ‘desk’ will never get too busy; He will never feel over whelmed.  Whatever happens or has happened combined probably wouldn’t take up a tenth of a millionth of God’s brain if He had one.  As God makes all the brains, He is away above all knowledge and we can’t comprehend or ever will, what it is like as we aren’t or ever will be God!   Don’t you wish people would stop trying to put God in a box? 

Sorry I digress; my point is that God always has time for you.  God wants you to come to Him with everything, as that means your thoughts are always on God.

Sometimes I used to fall into the trap of not wanting to bother God with something, after all He is God, and He doesn’t want to hear about ‘x’ as it’s too small.  Wrong!  I have found I don’t even think that now, as if I did, I know I would say it’s wrong.  Sometimes I just wouldn’t even think to think that about something because it’s so small.  Do you know what I mean? I only tend to bring small things to God if it unduly worries me or it’s something pressing, or for someone else. 

When we realise that God is waiting for us to talk to Him 24/7 and that nothing is too small, then we start understanding the kind of relationship God wants with us.  Still not convinced about small things?  1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray without ceasing.”

It’s not the fact that the problem is small or big, it’s that God wants continual prayer from us. 

When we meditate on the bible and pray without ceasing, our thoughts, attitudes, how we look at situations change.  We start to see it from a heavenly perspective.  We are told to use "all kinds of prayers."  Sometimes that can be a one liner, non verbal to God over something minor.  “On all occasions” sometimes that can be funny, or sad or not that serious in the grand scheme of things.  We usually bring the big things to God, but we sometimes aren't that good in bringing the other stuff to God.

So the next time you either think something is too tiny to bring to God or you don’t even think at the time about thinking of bringing something to God – remember God wants you to.