Priorities. What would Jesus do? He showed us.
“Suffer the boxer dogs to come unto me...” ?
Which of you, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends, his family and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'Do you think Jesus used this parable to mean finding the lamb was about the potential financial loss? Were the shepherd and his friends and family celebrating because of the money saved.
No, Jesus used that parable because people would understand the love of a man for his little lamb. Jesus was speaking to his own people, his own lambs...loving people who he knew this parable would resonate with.
God is a God of love.
God calls people differently to different causes and missions. Some people are called to the causes of children, some are called to take care of the elderly, some are called to preach the Gospel, some are called to show love and kindness in other ways.
This one is in the Old Testament and is told by Nathan the prophet to King David.
2 Samuel 12Nathan Rebukes David
The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.
The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! (speaking of how David had stolen Bathsheba from Uriah the Hittite).
I didn’t see you comment on this though.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4250582/posts
FWIW many serial killers start with killing and torturing animals before they move on to people.
Is that to say that human life is less valuable than the life of animals? No.
But people who start out abusing and neglecting animals, pets, are much more likely to also abuse children or vulnerable elderly people or the disabled.
We can care for abandoned pets living in shelters and adopt them if we are able, and also care about children. It is not mutually exclusive.