All Dogs Go To Heaven

Tyson

"Heaven is by favor; if it were by merit your dog would go in and you would stay out." ~Mark Twain 

🐕Unless the dog's name is Kujo, it's probably safe to say that a dog's faithfulness, unconditional love, and unsurpassing companionship would get it to heaven.  If that's the way heaven worked.  

Thank THE LORD it's not.  

🐕It doesn't matter if I am the strongest 6 on the enneagram chart, my loyalty isn't enough.  If my spirit animal is a lion, my strength isn't enough.  If my patronus is more courageous than Harry Potter's, it's not enough. 

But don't we just want to rank sin or create a hierarchy of good deeds?  We're tempted to break out the comparison scale of "us vs. them" to justify our decisions in life.  The problem with that is we can always find someone who has done something worse in our ranking, didn't do as many nice things as we've done, or worse yet, find someone who we think has done it better.  

🐕Here is the best news we can ever hear:  set our scales aside - there is only one reason we would get to spend eternity with God in heaven - because of what He did for us, by sending His only Son to die for our sins (John 3:16).

"There is salvation in no one else!  God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."  Acts 4:12 

On our best day, we can't do enough to earn heaven.   On our worst day we can't lose it. 

God said, through the apostle Paul-

"Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."  Ephesians 2:9

The most beautiful, kind, undeserved gift someone can receive is what God gave us.

 "If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Rom 10:9

🐕 Why do we look to so many other things for acceptance and validation?  Why do we look to other religions, spiritual devices, fame, wealth, popularity, self- when God's Word clearly says who we are, how we are to live out our lives abundantly,  and how we can spend eternity with Him?

Those things aren't big golden calves we've built, but they are nonetheless idols.  We put them in the position He rightly should have in our lives when we look to them thinking they know better than God-- God, who loves & cherishes us as His children.

"There is no other God  there never has been, and there never will be.  I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior."  Isaiah 43:10-11

When we are free from those distractions, we can pursue God completely and show others how they can live with Him too.  

Mac

🐕 Eternal friendship with God.  So much better than your dog can offer.  

✙ Heavenly Father, You are the Name above all Names, the Alpha and the Omega, our Redeemer.  There is no one like You.  Your will be done, Your Word goes out from Your mouth and accomplishes all you want it to, prospering everywhere You send it.  Forgive us for having idols that take Your rightful place of worship in our lives.  You give only good gifts to us, as Your children.  Thank You Lord.  Help us to show others this week that You are the one and only Savior. Amen.