In the beginning God made the sun and the moon. He made the wide sea and the dry earth. He made every star that shines in the sky and all the living things. God looked at everything He had made, and it was good. Then God made Adam and Eve, the first man and first woman. He loved them and put them in the Garden of Eden to live. God told them not to eat the fruit of one special tree, but Adam and Eve disobeyed Him. Because they had sinned, Adam and Eve had to leave the beautiful garden forever.
God told Noah to build a large ark because a terrible flood was coming. Noah made room for his family and for two of every animal on earth. Soon the rain began to fall. It rained for forty days and forty nights. Water covered all the earth. Only those on the ark were safe, because Noah had listened to God. When Noah's family and the animals finally stepped onto dry land, a rainbow appeared. It was a sign from God that the earth would never be flooded again.
Animals Serve God: When the flood was over, Noah sent some birds out of the ark to see if there was any dry land. At first the birds returned to the ark because the waters still covered the earth. But the day came when a dove returned to the ark with an olive branch in its beak, for there was now dry land upon the earth.
God continued to use animals to teach people about following God's will. A pagan prophet named Balaam wanted to curse Israel. As he was on his way, his donkey suddenly refused to go any further. Balaam ordered the donkey to get moving, even hitting it to force it to obey. The donkey began to speak. It told Balaam that the reason it had stopped was so that it could save his life, for there was an Angel with a fiery sword in the middle of the road waiting to kill him. At that instant Balaam saw the Angel. He learned his lesson and obeyed God. Another time, God sent a great drought to the land of Israel, for it did not rain for 3 years. God protected his prophet Elijah by sending a raven that would bring him food every day.
Jesus Speaks of Animals: When Jesus had grown up, He continued to see that there was much that we could learn from animals. Jesus wanted to teach people that God had sent Him into the world to guide them in the way of goodness and justice. Many of His listeners were farmers and shepherds, so He used an example that He was sure they would understand.
Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. He said He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. He is not like the shepherds who work only for pay. They do not really care about what happens to the sheep in their care. If a thief or a wild animal comes along, they will run for safety and leave their animals in danger. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. We are the sheep that Jesus loves and protects. In another time, Jesus spoke of God's joy when a sinner turns from his sins. He said it is like the joy of a shepherd when he finds a lamb that was lost. God loves us so much that He would leave His 99 sheep, which are in no danger, to search out that one lamb that is in danger.
Photographs of my pets: During my primary school years, I kept chickens. During my working life, I had dog. (The one in the picture showed Baby, a Shih Tzu.
Animals Become Our Pets: People have often depended upon their animals to help them in their work. They have used horses to carry them from one place to another. They have used their oxen and donkeys to help them plow their fields. Sometimes they have used birds to carry their messages to distant lands. They have used dogs for hunting, and also for looking for people who were lost. For thousands of years, people have also kept animals as pets. Some of the first pets were cats and dogs. One can find pictures of them in ancient caves and in the pyramids.
People have also kept birds to listen to their beautiful songs and to look at their beautiful colours. They have kept fish in ponds and eventually inside their house as well. Today people keep all kinds of different pets. I love pets as well. I had chickens, birds, terrapins, fish and dogs as pets. Now in my house, I have cat and terrapins. They brought so much joy to us, serving as our companion and also our entertainment.
Caring For Our Pets: If we have brought all these animals into our homes and have made them our pets, then we have a special responsibility to take care of them. That means that we should make the commitment to do everything we have to do to take care of our pets. We should never forget to feed them or clean up after them.
Sometimes we think that having pets means being able to play with them. When any work has to be done to take care of them, we leave that for the parents. Some people forget to clean up the lawn after their pets have made a mess. We do not clean the cage or its tank, even if it has begun to smell. Or maybe we forget to give our pet fresh water and food.
We should remember that God created all these animals and He loves them. When He first created them, He had Adam give them names as a sign that he was placing them in his care. Now, we are the ones who give our pets their names, and we are the ones who are to take care of them.
Whenever we call our pet, we should remember that it depends upon us for its health and happiness, and we should never let it down.
Praying For Our Pet: One of the things that we should do for our pets is to pray for them. God had given them to us as a gift, but also as a responsibility. When we pray, we thank God for the gift of our pet, and we tell God that we are accepting our responsibility.
Thank you God for (Name of Pet). Please bless __________ and assist him/her to carry out the function that You have given him/her. May _______ help me to think of You who gave life to him/her.
Every time that I play with ______ let me remeber that he/she is Your gift to me. I promise to take care of him/her, to feed him/her and clean up after him/her. Help me to be a good friend to _____ and make ______a good friend to me. Amen
Prayer For a Lost Pet : Dear God, I'm worried about my pet who is lost. I don't think he/she will be able to take care of himself/herself and I miss him/her terribly. You told us that You keep track of every sparrow in the sky and every lily in the field. So I know that You will also take care of (name of pet). Please send one of Your Angels from heaven to guide ____ back to me. Thank you Lord, because I know that You will hear and answer my prayer. Amen
Prayer for when a pet died: Dear God, my pet ___ died today. It hurts me because I really loved him/her and now he/she is gone. I place my pet in Your hands, for You created him/her out of love and take care of the whole world. Help me to feel better and dry my tears. Teach me to be thankful for all the time we spent together and for all the fun we had. Let me share that love and joy with everyone around me so that I can give them some of the joy that _______ gave to me. Amen
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