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More Than a Guide Dog

4/30/2021

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Right now I am writing from my computer at home.  I am taking the time to continue with my Guide Dog Blog because that is all I have right now is TIME.  My family is in the middle of a ten day quarantine from COVID 19.  Don't feel sorry for us, we are all going to be great.  We are not afraid of sickness or death because our Loving Heavenly Father only gives us the best things possible.  He has great plans for us! So, just pray God receives glory.
As I write, I think about my guide dog not getting much work in right now.  However, he is doing something that was not trained into him, but seems to be intrinsic to the retriever breed: McQueen is a great comfort dog.  When I'm sick in bed, McQueen will check on me.  When I'm sick in the chair, McQueen will lay by me.  My guide dog seems to care about me.  (Don't get me wrong--my wife is caring for me more!)  But, McQueen reminds me of a timeless truth about my Jesus: "...there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" Proverbs 18:24b.  Jesus has promised to never leave me, nor forsake me.  His Holy Spirit is the great Comforter.  Even if I didn't have McQueen or Julie or anyone to care for me in my weakness--I have Jesus.  Jesus is love and comfort to me.
God gives us little earthly blessings like McQueen to remind us of His goodness!


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Back!

4/27/2021

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​Proverbs 1:23 "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."

         What a word to the wise!  "Turn you at my reproof..."  God uses His Word and His Spirit in this world to correct your direction in His Wisdom.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."  God's reproofs are profitable to you.
          What are reproofs? According to the BDB Lexicon reproof means "rebuke, correction, punishment, chastisement."  That is a vast range of intensity.  A rebuke may not be as severe as a correction, and a correction may not be as severe as punishment, and so on.  God cares about you so much that He reveals His perfect way to you and reproves you when you are going the wrong way.  If that doesn't get your attention then maybe throwing a correction into your path will.
          My guide dog, McQueen, is a wonderful help to me.  He makes sure I don't get run over by Dump trucks or walk off a ledge.  The guide dog/master relationship is interesting because he will safely guide me wherever I want to go, but I have to have the orientation to point him in the right direction.  Unlike our Heavenly Father, sometimes I will lead McQueen astray and will need to turn around.  So, when that happens the verbal command of "back" is given with a backward sweeping hand motion.  If McQueen is doing what he was trained to do (and he has so far) he will immediately turn back and lead me in the opposite direction.
          BUT, if he were to not respond to my command to turn back I would essentially reprove him with a leash correction (a tug on his choke chain), and then repeat the command.  If that doesn't work (and it would mostly be because he sees something he wants: food, another dog, etc.) then he would have a more severe reproof: "doggy push-ups."  Doggy push-ups are a series of simple commands followed by leash corrections until I have his attention.
              Too many of us are living life in constant reproof when we could be living in revival!  All you must do is properly respond to God's reproofs and turn "back" when He says so.

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    Author

    I am Keith Bates, honored to be the pastor of the Penrose Baptist Church.  I was born legally blind and have enjoyed serving God with my guide dog, McQueen.  These are some lessons I've learned from McQueen.

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