One summer day our family received a very nice surprise. It was a Saint Bernard puppy. That was a happy day for us children and the very best gift we had ever had.
It happened this way. Mr. Holtzhauer, who raised pedigreed dogs, owed Father some money. He was not able to pay the bill with money, so Father settled the bill by getting a puppy instead.
We named him Caesar, and it was not long before he grew up to be a fine, big, good-looking dog. It was lots of fun romping and playing games with him. He had a heavy coat of hair which we enjoyed combing. He liked being combed, except when we got to his tail. There his hair was long, and it hurt Caesar when we tried to comb out the matted hair.
What an appetite Caesar had! A big bowl of potatoes with gravy and meat was gobbled down in no time. But he earned his food, because he was a help around the farm. He was always willing to do things for us. His first chore in the morning was to bring in the mail. He watched for Mr. Kenicott who came with his covered wagon drawn by a horse and put the mail wrapped in the morning paper in Caesar’s mouth. Then he always brought it right to one of us.
Mother had a garden in which she grew different kinds of vegetables. In the morning she would get a basket and go to the garden to pick fresh vegetables for the noon-day meal. Caesar always would go with her. After Mother filled the basket she would give it to Caesar to carry for her. Carrying the full basket was not an easy job for him, but he managed to bring it right into the kitchen. Then the cook stove had to be lit. (There were no gas or electric stoves in those days.) A big pile of wood and kindling was kept in a dry location near the house. When we children carried some of this wood into the house, Caesar was not happy unless he carried a couple of pieces, too.
As we got a little older my brother and I had to walk a mile to the railroad station to take a train to a Chicago high school. Our faithful, devoted dog knew when it was time for us to arrive home in the afternoon. Even though he might have been with Father who was working in the field, Caesar would go lie on the back porch until he saw us coming. Then he would bound up to meet us and carry some of our books strapped together back to the house.
Caesar was also an excellent watchdog. Late one afternoon he saw a stranger go into the basement of our house. He knew just how to handle that situation. Instead of following the stranger into the basement, he stood at the entrance of the door growling, as if to say, “You stay there until my master gets home; he’ll take care of you!” Father did just that, and then Caesar got extra food for his supper as a reward.
How many of you boys and girls are as obedient to your father and mother as Caesar was to his family? God’s Word, the Bible, says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Ephesians 6:11Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1). To obey is one of the greatest acts we can do as Christians. Why was it that Caesar was so obedient? It was because he loved his master and wanted to please him. These are the same reasons for us to obey, too. Our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, loves us very much and wants us to be obedient children. If we really love Him and want to please Him, then we will try to please Him in everything we do and say. By reading the Bible we can learn how He wants us to act, because the Bible is His instructions to us. When Caesar was told to do something, he did it. If we read in the Bible that the Lord Jesus wants us to do something, then we should do it. By being obedient to God and to His Son the Lord Jesus, we as His children can live a life pleasing to Him down here.
First though, each of us must become one of God’s family. Caesar was not born into his family. He had to be bought. We also must be brought into God’s family, but we cannot pay money to get in. The price has already been paid. The Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross and there He was punished for the sins of all who would believe in Him. Those who are saved become part of His family. Won’t you accept Him as your Saviour now and become a member of His family?
ML-12/11/1983