"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'"
- Mark 16:15 ESV
My human says I bark too much.
Now personally, I think that’s just good communication skills wrapped in fur.
I bark at squirrels, delivery trucks, suspicious walkers, and once at a garden gnome that looked like it had bad intentions.
But lately, I’ve noticed my human talking more than barking.
He’s been telling folks about Jesus at the fast food restaurant, over coffee, and even standing beside a rusty pickup truck after church while the mosquitoes held a revival meeting of their own.
The other day I heard him quote an old evangelist, Billy Sunday:
“They tell me a revival is only temporary; so is a bath, but it does you good.”
Now I don’t know much about revival, but I do know about baths.
I fight them with all four paws.
Still, afterward I feel lighter, cleaner, and somehow closer to being welcome back inside the house.
Maybe revival works that way too.
Seems like folks think proclaiming Jesus has to mean standing behind a pulpit with a shiny Bible and a microphone that squeals louder than I do when the vacuum cleaner comes out.
But my human says most proclaiming happens in ordinary places — front porches, grocery lines, waiting rooms, ballgames, and backyard fences.
That’s our little corner of the world.
I’ve noticed something else too.
My human doesn’t always have fancy answers.
Sometimes he simply tells people what Jesus did for him.
Funny thing is, folks seem to listen better to a real story than a rehearsed speech.
Dogs understand that.
When I’m happy, I wag.
When I’m worried, I whine.
When I love my human, I stay close.
I don’t attend seminars on “Advanced Tail Wagging Techniques.”
What’s in my heart eventually shows up in my actions.
Maybe proclaiming Jesus is a little like that.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men…”
He didn’t say we all had to light up the whole world at once.
Just shine where we are.
A porch light doesn’t reach the next county, but it sure helps somebody find the front steps in the dark.
Your kindness may be small.
Your testimony may be simple.
Your little part of the world may seem ordinary.
But God has always done big things through faithful people in small places.
And if revival only lasts awhile?
Well… so does a bath.
But both can leave a person cleaner than they were before.
Proclaim the Truth…
And watch what Jesus can do through that one little act of faith…
One little act of obedience…
One little act of surrender.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
