A
number of years ago, a book was written about dog and cat theology.
It may have been a joke at first, but then the characteristics of the
two animals were compared to that of people in church and soon the
idea of it being a laughing matter disappeared as it was true.
Basically, dogs are givers and cats are takers. I have a cat that we
got from the pound. It was a kitten when we got her and now, almost
9 months later, she rules the house. She doesn't jump on me when I
come into the house and she doesn't play fetch. The wagging of her
tail is more like a twitch which shows her level of agitation at the
moment. A dog, when you arrive home, jumps as far up as it can, its
tail wagging, a few barks and just follows your every movement. The
cat wants you to entertain it or to feed it and is more like asking,
“What are you going to do for me?” My cat comes up to me while I
am at my desk and nibbles at my hand and prances back and forth. You
might think she is being affectionate but in reality, she wants my
chair, which I of course, give in and I sit on the folding chair
while she curls up in my office chair. The idea of cat and dog
theology is that there are two types of people in the church: those
who are givers and those who are takers.
First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “ Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
The “takers” in
life want to know what you can do for them. They want to be
constantly entertained and if conditions are not right, they will
leave and will simply walk off and search for a place that will cater
to their needs. The takers will be the ones who will be the
grumblers and the murmurers in the church. There will always be
something that doesn't meet their expectations. The givers on the
other hand are more of a thankful people who will always be looking
for ways that they can be utilized in God's service. They are the
ones who will scrub the toilets, sweep the parking lot, pick up the
trash and who will actually pray for the needs when they hear of a
request. We might think that all people would take the exhortation
of Paul seriously and while most do in some degree, it will be the
“givers” who really get the job done. Paul spoke to the
Thessalonians in the final verses giving them around 15 different
imperative commands. It was his closing admonition to them like what
your mother said to you as you were going out the door. It sound
like Paul didn't have a lot of time to say all that he wanted to say,
so in the last breath he gives forth these short phrased commands.
This is where the “giver” excels. They are looking for ways to
please their Master and this is what God wants from us. May we all be
praying without ceasing, rejoicing always and giving thanks for all
that God puts on our plate. It should be our desire to be “givers”
instead of just “takers.” What about you? Are you a “giver”
or a “taker?” Praise God today for His being our Master. May we
follow Him each and every moment.
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