DID YOU KNOW..?
That....
We had 63 humans and 20 dogs at the service this year?
Last year we had 52 humans and 16 dogs.
(FROM THE MESSAGE DURING THE BLESSING OF ANIMALS SERVICE by Rev Dr Lorna Khoo) that...
1.
GOD MADE COVENANT WITH ANIMALS, not just people (Genesis 9. It was mentioned 5 times there)
2.
HUMANS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CONSUME BLOOD OF ANIMALS because blood represents the life of the animal. God wanted us to know that we do not own animals. We are merely stewards and guardians.
God alone owns animals. We do not have ultimate right over their lives.
(Job 12:10, Psalm 50:10-11)
3.
THE RIGHTEOUS PERSON is not just one who is walking right with God and his fellow humans. It is one who
cares for his animal (Proverbs 12:10).
Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon once recounted the view of Rowland Hill that a person 'was not a true Christian if his dog or cat were not the better off for it.." and he commented , " That witness is true..."
4
ANIMALS HAVE SOULS. In Genesis, soul is 'nephesh' in the Hebrew text. Animals have nephesh. What should be translated as ' living souls' has been translated as 'living things'.
(The difference between human and animal souls is not fleshed out here. John Wesley the father of Methodism was interested in this so his Masters degree topic was on ANIMAL SOULS. Unfortunately no copy of his thesis can be found to help us ascertain his findings. Nonetheless, he is known to care about animals and he did pray for his horse...)
5.
THERE WILL BE ANIMALS IN HEAVEN. ( Revelation 5:13. Every creature in heaven, on earth,m under the earth, in the sea...praised God. ) Scripture talks about God wiping away our tears and that there will be redemption of creation (cf Romans 8)
Thanks be to God!
