Toffee the Temple Dog- Part 2

When I first got Toffee, the tiny puppy that followed me home from the temple in Bangkok, she was covered in fleas. And I do mean covered! I had never seen anything like it. The first thing I had to do, before ever taking her into my apartment at the Mission Home, was to give her a bath. I got the plastic kids’ pool from the side yard and filled it with about 4 inches of water so she could easily stand. But when I tried to put her in, she “yipped” bloody murder! You would have sworn I was killing her! She squirmed and cried, and it was all I could do to hold onto her. I wondered if her reaction was a result of her having fallen into the water canal by the Temple, or maybe she had been sprayed with a hose to chase her away. I felt so bad. But it had to be done.

Once I had washed and combed all the fleas out of her that I could, I dried her off, and she was her happy self again, all wags and licks. She slept in a box on the balcony that night, and the next day we went straight to the vet! When I arrived at the office, the Thai people waiting there with their pedigree pets marveled that I had adopted a Thai street dog. They commented that she was “very lucky”, and that she must have had the best “karma” ever. The Vet checked her out, and gave her a proper flea bath and her first shots. I paid the bill, and she was good to go. Now we did not need to be separated. She could be inside my apartment with me!

Those fleas are actually a good picture of our sins. We are “covered in them”, whether we want to admit it or not. (See Romans 3:23) And just like those fleas kept me from getting as close to little Toffee as I longed to be, our sins separate us from God and keep Him from the closeness He longs to have with us. God cannot abide our sin. He loves us, but He is holy. So what can be done?
Because I love Toffee, I did what I needed to do (as distasteful as it was) so that she could be with me. She couldn’t de-flea herself. I had to. I had to give her that first bath, and then take her to the vet. Although it was all “free” to her, it was of some cost to me. But I love her, so it was well worth it.
God has done the same for us. He knows we can do nothing to rid ourselves of sin. But He loves us so much that He provided the way for our sins to be “washed away”. He did this so He could draw us close, into sweet fellowship with Him now and someday be with Him in heaven forever. And, it cost us nothing! It’s a free gift! Free to us, that is, but not free to Him. To God, it was costly. Very costly. It cost Him his beloved Son. God’s great love for us is why He sent His Son, Jesus to die. He came to take our punishment and to wash our sins away, so we would no longer be separated from God. (See John 3:16) The enormity of God’s love for us is staggering. In fact, it’s incomprehensible. And truly awesome.

What About You?
Have you ever realized how much God loves you? Have you ever accepted His free gift? (See Romans 10:9; Romans 10:13; John 1:12) If you have, I rejoice with you!! If you haven’t yet, don’t wait! He loves you so very much and His arms are open wide.