Hello, and welcome to Enbolden, living a bold Christian life. I'm Chris Shutter, an ordinary Christian living with and learning about an extraordinary God. In the book of Jude we read about the grumblers and the fault-finders, following their own evil desires and boasting about themselves. I find the best way not to be a grumbler and a fault-finder, which I struggle with, is instead to look for ways to be thankful and grateful.
That's why on the Enbolden podcast we're doing 30 Days of Thankfulness. Please join me. Today's thankful verse comes from Proverbs 27, 23. Be sure you know the condition of your flocks.
Give careful attention to your herds. I am certainly thankful that the Lord sent His Holy Spirit to be with us always, to comfort, guide, and even giving us those occasional taps on the shoulder when we're about to say or do something, we shouldn't. Sometimes, however, we need an earthly comfort, a warm and fuzzy hug or a big sloppy kiss. And that's why I'm so very thankful God gifted us with pets.
There's no clear answer as to when we humans started domesticating animals. Some say the beginning of the 5th millennium BC, while others think it was a bit later in that millennium. But no matter, we could know it was a long time ago we became shepherds and farmers. It's thought that dogs became our companions around 27,000 years ago.
The oldest known dog remains were found in the Americas, and are dated to approximately 17,000 years ago. We've certainly had a long-term love affair with our pets. 2 Samuel 12, 1-3, says, The Lord sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him, he said, There were two men in a certain town, one rich and another poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little eun to receive the message of Jesus' birth, with their faithful sheepdogs by their sides that fateful night.
I've been blessed with two dogs, a few cats, some fish, and even a few hermit crabs. My dog right now, Tucker, brings me so much laughter and joy. Don't we all need someone in our lives that, when we come home after a long day, jumps for joy and begs to cuddle with them? I thank God for this companionship, and the love so many of us throughout the ages have received from our furry friends.
Have a thankful day. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Embolden Podcast. Be sure to follow along so you don't miss any episode, and check out my blog at embolden.net.