Charming Little Pup...

I have to admit, this is not a cute puppy. There's nothing in the dog that draws out affection. His teeth are yellow and crooked. Half of them are missing. His skin is wrinkly, and his ears look like the dried pig's ears they give to dogs to chew on. He is balding, and what is left of his hair is thin and grey. His eyes are not bright and wide, his nose is dry and crusty, and he's sitting with his ugly foot in his ugly mouth.

Nope, he's about as cute as a wart...and it looks like he's got a few of those pushing through too.

Such is our state before God. There's nothing in us that it likeable and that draws His affection toward us (see Isaiah 64:6). We are selfish, hateful, blasphemous, self-righteous, ungrateful, wicked, and even repulsive. The best of us is one ugly puppy. The Bible teaches that nothing in us is desirable and worthy of His love. That comes solely because He is love and because of His mercy.

Look at this verse: "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10, NKJV).

Not only were we not attractive to God, but when we were blasphemous enemies of God, Christ died for us (see Romans 5:8). This is hugely consoling for the Christian because it means that if I live to get old, when my hair grows thin, when my ears become long and floppy, my teeth become yellow and fall out, my skin gets wrinkly, my eyes fail, and my mind goes--when I'm just one ugly puppy, He is still the lover of my soul. His love isn't dependent on me. It is dependent on Him. How cool is that!