DAILY DEVOTIONAL – July 7, 2020

“Best Friend”

Prayer: Almighty Father, it is an incredible truth that You call us friend, and that though You are indeed the Most High God who is perfect in holiness and righteousness, by Your grace through faith in Christ Jesus Your Son, we have a friend in You as well. We have not the words to ever say thank you enough for Your love and grace in Jesus. Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 3:9-13

the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock

and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly

and you will eat dust

all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

Devotion – “Man’s Best Friend”

God’s creation is magnificent, and some of the most fascinating things on this Earth that point clearly to a Creator and Designer are the physiological marvels that exist in the animal kingdom. Take dogs for example, often referred to as “man’s best friend”. Humans have about 5 million scent receptors which we use to smell; dogs have over 20 million and the result is a sense of smell that is 10,000 times stronger than humans. In fact, some breeds (like bloodhounds) can detect a scent that is over 300 hours old.

Humans have 6 muscles that control the movement of our ears; dogs have 18 and a sense of hearing that is 4 times stronger than humans. Perhaps most fascinating, at least to me, are the whiskers found on not only dogs but many animals in God’s creation. The whiskers are technically called vibrissae, and are ultra sensitive. They can detect the most minute changes in air flow and vibration as the result of the smallest of movements, and they also are hyper sensitive to texture discrimination, shape discrimination and assist with the incredible sense of equilibrium that many animals have.

These kinds of physiological marvels helped one dog prove how good a friend of man they can be. According to the local news website www.patch.com:

Paula Godwin, long time resident of Phoenix, AZ, took her two dogs hiking on a trailhead around 7 a.m. As they strolled down the hill, Paula was relaxed and just taking in the scenery. Suddenly, her curious 6-month-old golden retriever, Todd, sensed something and jolted toward her foot.

“I didn’t see the snake and I am so careful when it comes to these things,” Godwin said, noting she’s lived her whole life in the area and knows of the dangers. “That dang rattlesnake was so camouflaged I didn’t see a thing.”

The full grown adult rattlesnake didn’t make a sound until it was too late. “I think the snake was sleeping because I didn’t even hear a rattle. It was super quiet,” Paula said. Todd put his nose down close to the ground to see what was on the trail. The snake immediately bit him on the nose and cheek area.

“Right when he struck he started to rattle,” she said. “Todd saved me,” she said. “I would’ve been bit for sure if it wasn’t for my puppy looking to see what it was.”

Todd immediately cried and yelped in pain. Paula scooped him up, rushed down the trail, and put him the car, racing to Animal Hospital. “I broke a lot of traffic laws for sure to get him there,” she quipped. “I did not pay any attention to traffic laws for 10 minutes.”

Todd remained hospitalized for 12 hours, received antivenom. and is expected to make a full recovery.

Source: https://patch.com/california/echopark/s/ggjm0/rattlesnake-bites-hero-dog-jumped- front-owner (this link was live and working properly at the time of this devotional.)

As we read in our Genesis text for today, like the rattlesnake that bit Todd, there is another serpent that is deadly quiet and strikes without warning…seeking only to kill and destroy. Unlike the venomous rattlesnake that bit Todd, the Devil’s poison is deception…but like the rattlesnake the Devil is deadly accurate when he strikes.

Paula didn’t hear or see the rattlesnake, and the Devil will not announce his attacks on us either. As with Adam and Eve, the Devil is so clever and crafty, by the time we realize we are being deceived…we have been deceived. Paula’s sense of smell and sight and hearing couldn’t detect the well camouflaged snake lurking nearby. However, Todd’s 20 million sent glands and 18 muscles controlling his ears and his super sensitive vibrissae detected the motionless, sleeping rattlesnake with no problem.

Paul says in Ephesians 6, “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Much like Paula couldn’t sense the snake, all of humanity is by nature blinded and deafened by sin to the threats that exist all around us each day. We stand no better chance of fending off the Devil serpent who seeks our destruction than Paula did walking on the same trail path she had her whole life.

The Good News for us is, that like Paula, we have a companion…more than a companion…a Lord and Savior Jesus, who just as God promised Adam and Eve, has crushed the head of the Devil as He was lifted up high on a cross for all to see, and rose again three days later from the dead. The sin we have committed against God because of the Devil’s deception, and the death that our sin deserves has all been defeated through Christ’s death and resurrection. An eternal antivenom.

As we go through this life surrounded by invisible threats, our only hope is to draw near to Christ, to listen to him and follow Him because He can see and only He has the power to defeat Satan and defend and protect us.

As a dog lover and owner myself, I certainly believe in the blessing of companionship that God has given to us through our wonderful pups. And, although the sentiment is certainly appropriate, the truth is, our best friend…mankind’s best friend…is Jesus. Only He can save us. Only He has saved us.

Thanks for spending time with me in God’s Word, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.