Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
 – Deuteronomy 31:6

About a week or so ago, Karen was telling me about an article about a dog who had been abandon and left to die in Russia. To make the story even more emotional, she was pregnant and expecting a litter of puppies. She had entombed for two days when a good samaritan named Vadim was passing by and heard her frantic barking.

The pooch named Bilka, was a stray that had wandered into a sinkhole that had been open for three weeks. While Belka was inside the hole, the housing authorities patched up the pit on Sept. 18th, not realizing there was a dog inside.

On Sept. 21st, Vadim said he kept hearing a dog’s whining and barking, but didn’t know where it was coming from. When he realized it was coming from underground, he asked city officials to help rescue the pregnant dog and its unborn pups. After officials refused to dig another hole to save the soon-to-be mother pooch, Vadim decided to do it himself. Belka had been trapped in the hole for two days without any food and water. He quickly began to chisel the brick away one brick at a time and then began burrowing away sand. Finally he moved away a large stone and saw one of her paws and muzzle peeking through until eventually the frantic, scared, hungry and dehydrated Belka was freed.

After reading this story and watching the incredible rescue below, I immediately had the thought about how God has done this very thing for all mankind. He reached down by sending Jesus to rescue us when we were entombed by our own sin and rebellion and provided total freedom from sin and death.

It still puzzles me why so many people continue to live their lives apart from this truth and believe they can make it better on their own than looking to Jesus as their source of life, strength, blessing, peace of mind, comfort, joy, the list is endless. I must admit although friend that I believe part of the reason we aren’t seeing more people come into this saving knowledge of Jesus is that we that confess to know Him, aren’t making Him known as we should in our day to day lives to the masses.

God gives you and I opportunities each and every day to share His love with those around us. I’m not talking about having to bring up the name of Jesus in every conversation you have with others or mentioning that the Bible says this or that. I’m simply speaking of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and use you in your world that you live in each day. This might be at your job, home, church, Wal-Mart, pumping gas, phone conversations, etc. When you fully step out of the way and ask the Holy Spirit to use you each day and ask Him to open doors for you to share your faith with others, let me tell you by experience, He will my friend.

This world is still heavily populated with others that need to know that Jesus is truly there for them and is ready to help rescue them if they will only trust Him to. Like Vadim in the opening story heard the cries of little Belka desperate to be rescued, if you truly listen each day, you too my friend will also hear others crying out in desperation wanting to be rescued. You can be the hands and voice of Jesus He uses to set them free!

Remain blessed,