Jesus never said 'consider Dexter,' I do not even know if they had greyhounds in first century Palestine. But Jesus did say 'consider the birds' and expected his hearers to learn something from doing so. After nearly nine years with us Dexter has gone the way of all the earth, his full name 'Ted Dexter Blackstock Indabiningy Satoli Bobbo Baldi Doggy Features Holland'demonstrates that he was not just any ordinary dog.
Thinking about Dexter's life has led me to 'consider' the following:
Dexter was almost entirely focused on food, any food. His entire life seemed to revolve around eating, he would break all of our rules if it meant he could grab some small morsal and scoff it down in half a second. Nothing else would get in his way from the one task. The question this raises is obvious, am I pursuing Christ with the same singleness of purpose, do I 'count all things as rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ my Lord?'
The other love of Dexter's life was to run, he had never raced as a greyhound but given the chance he would run wildly in large circles. He loved it, he seemed to run for the pure pleasure of it. He wasn't going anywhere, there was no destination, no place to get to. And oh, he was quick. When he ran it was a beautiful thing. In the film the Chariots of Fire the runner Eric Liddell said this, "When I run, I feel His pleasure. ”. ... “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast!" This seemed to be true for Dexter, God made him fast and when he ran we all could feel God's pleasure. John Pipper said that 'God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.'
I want to know God's pleasure as I run with him through life
