It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. John 13:1 NIV
I took two of our dogs for their yearly Senior Dog Exams. They recommend senior blood work to make sure everything is functioning properly. My pets being classified as seniors is not something I want to face.
Many aging pets are dropped off at shelters because owners have replaced them with puppies or their medical expenses are too great. Others have a heart for senior pets and have hospice rescues and adopt older dogs so they happily live out their last days being loved and loving life.
John 13 tells us that Jesus loved his disciples and those he had been given on this earth until the end. He was facing his own death but was concerned for those he loved and were in his care. In this chapter, Jesus goes on to wash his disciples’ feet and tell them that he has set them an example. They were to do as Jesus did.
Jesus’ example doesn’t end in the washing of feet. We are to follow his example of humility and love. He sets the precedence of putting others first. The Golden Rule is stated in Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Jesus showed his great love for us by laying down his own life that we might have life eternal with him.
We are to love those Jesus has given us just as he did; to the end. Before Buzz Lightyear came up with the catchphrase, “To Infinity and Beyond”, Jesus was displaying it in his every word and action.
Do you have an aging pet, friend, child or parent? Don’t abandon them. Jesus has never abandoned you and he never will.
Just Another Dog Devotion 