This story is a true story about something that happened in my life some years ago.
The other day a neighbour's cat came to my house crying for food. At first I sent it away. 'It is not my responsibility', I thought, 'It belongs to my neighbour'. The plight of the cat got worse and she grew thinner and thinner until I felt I had to give the cat some food. It didn't matter whose cat it was, she was starving. Maybe the owners couldn't afford to buy cat food, maybe they were feeding it a food which it couldn't eat, or maybe they just didn't care about it. Whatever the reason, I had let the fact that it was someone else's cat blind me to the fact that it was starving. I had food to give it, we have three cats of our own, and it had to be fed or it could starve to death.
God spoke to me through this incident. He brought me to realize how easily I could have looked the other way and tried to justify myself by saying 'The problem is not mine.' The truth of the matter was that the problem was not mine until I was made aware of it. The cat had come to my door and I as a believer know that the cat does not really belong to my neighbour, it belongs to God. 'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness therein.' (Psalm 24).
Sometimes we are reluctant to share what we have, not only the material things but also the spiritual things, because we think it will cause a loss to us. However, the Lord tells us to give and it shall be given to us (Luke ch. 6 v.38). Whatever God has given to us is to be given out to others where there is a need, we need not fear that we shall suffer through our giving. In fact we are more likely to suffer through our lack of giving, especially where sharing our faith is concerned. If a plant was to be put in a vessel that did not have any holes in the bottom, water being poured into it frequently would soon cause the plant to rot. If there are holes in the vessel the plant will take what it needs through it's root system, and the excess will flow out, keeping the plant healthy.
However, no gardener will add water to a plant that is already saturated and in danger of rotting because the water hasn't been allowed to drain away. So let us make sure our vessels have holes in them, and that the 'water of the Word' that we have been given will be shared in this world, just like the widow in 1 Kings ch. 17 shared her bread. Let us all try to be like the widow woman who trusted the Word of the Lord so much that she gave to Elijah when he was in need before she took for herself and her son. It is by our works that we show faith. Let us share both the things that we have in this world, and also our faith, through the BREAD OF THE WORD. God is faithful, 'the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail' according to the word of the Lord for the widow woman, and neither will it for us. For the Lord knows what things we have need of before we ask.
When the Lord is the 'gardener' we need not fear that He will neglect to 'water' us. Proverbs ch. 11 v.35 says 'The generous man will be prosperous. And he who waters will himself be watered.'
23 comments:
I have 6 cats, but if I see any cats near my house, I always feed them. One beautiful cat came to me for 15 years morning and evening. Unfortunately, she died last summer.
The Lord sent me my 6 pets so that I could adopt them and be happy with them.
Irina, there could not be a better person than you to look after cats, and I know that the Lord has sent all the cats you have, and still are looking after, to you. What a lovely story about the cat that came to you for 15 years.
Such a beautiful story, Brenda, with a great lesson for all of us to learn and put into practice. May we always be generous in caring and loving others as Jesus commanded us to be.
Blessings!
Amen.
"God is faithful, 'the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail' "
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God also created cats and He knows why. To look after us, to be special to us. to be our faithful friends...
Hi Martha Jane, thank you for your kind comment, I agree with what you have said. God bless you with His love in Jesus.
That is right Sandi, we have a faithful God Who sent us Jesus.
That's right Irina, cats are part of God's creation, and my husband and I have loved them all of our lives. I don't know if I have told you, but we even took two cats and a motorbike to Australia with us when we moved there to live. We only have one at the moment, she is a cat who we got from Cat's Protection, and she has been with us for about two years.
There are many cats visiting our garden. Our dog just ignores them.
God bless.
Hi Victor, make sure you don't leave any of your dog food or treats outside in the garden, or you will have even more cats visiting. God bless.
Hi Brenda, I love your analogy of the plants. We need to share what God puts in our heart from His Word, as you do so beautifully in your blog. God bless.
Hi Laurie, thank you for your very kind comment. Sharing what our Lord has given us to share on this earth once we have come to our Saviour Jesus is the most important thing in our lives. We are in the times of 'Wars and rumours of wars' and nation rising against nation, so it is even more important to share what we have been given to share now. God bless you Laurie as you share what God has given you to share.
Dear Brenda,
I admit, we never had a cat approach us to be fed, but some years ago, my late mother took care of her neighbour's cat and fed it.
To me, that is a downside of domestication. The cat loses its instinct to hunt and fend for itself.
When Alex and I honeymooned in Rhodes, we saw many feral cats living mainly on archaeological sites. We never saw anyone attempt to feed them, as they were unapproachable, yet they seem to survive.
Blessings to you and your family.
Hi Frank, yes, like all animals cats are able to feed themselves I agree. It is just that sometimes an animal may approach us for a reason. This may sound strange, but it is absolutely true. When we lived in a ground floor flat in Australia we heard a tap on the front door. My husband opened it and a fully pregnant cat came in, it had actually tapped on the door with it's claws. It lay down in the front room and all the kittens were born dead, it was pitiful. We looked after the mother cat for the time we were in the flat - before we moved back to the UK. At the end of the row of flats was a Russian lady who loved cats and had many with her. She took that cat in when we left, it was a very happy ending. God bless you and Alex.
...Brenda, I wish you peace.
Beautiful story, Brenda--and insight.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Tom, it was nice to visit your blog. In Jesus I have peace. God bless.
Hi Sandra, thank you for your kind comment. There are so many things that happen in our lives that encourage us to do good. God bless you.
Hi Brenda, Our neighborhood used to have many feral cats, including one who used to nap during the day on the balcony outside our side porch, then would leave, presumably to hunt at night. Sadly, we haven't seen him for a long time, nor have we seen any neighborhood cats, and rumors are that they are being killed. Some were found cleanly cut in half on the golf course, perhaps used in satanic rituals. Wickedness shall increase in the End Times, and this seems to be the case here. As sad as it is, it is yet another sign that Jesus' return is imminent. May God bless you Brenda.
Hi Laurie, what a horrific story about the cats found on the golf course cut in half. That is definitely satanic. Yes, I believe we are in the end times, I hope we are very close to Jesus returning. God bless you Laurie.
God bless always.
God bless you too Victor.
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