Marked for Death, Rescued by Grace

It’s almost two years ago now when my husband and I went to a local Animal Rescue Shelter and the only little dog there was a Chihuahua/Terrier mix. Had there been a Yorkie terrier or other fluffy little dog, I would not have given this little guy a second glance. But, my husband fell in love with him at first sight. He was scruffy, skin and bone and had a sad lonely look in his eyes.

The history of this little guy is amazing. He was rescued from a kill shelter in South Carolina. The little tattoo on the inside of his leg marked him to be “put down.” He was next in line to be killed when the Rescue Shelter saved him and brought him to Long Island.

The mark on his body will never go away, and every time we see it, we think of how close he came to being killed.

The story is not about a dog but about you and I. Before we knew Christ as our Lord and Savior, our sin was the mark which was going to send us to an eternal life spent in hell, but Christ intervened and because of His Grace and mercy, He died on a cross so that we will not have to die and go to a lost eternity. We will live with Him when our days here on earth are over.

God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die a brutal death on a cross so that we can live a life of fulfillment here on earth and be with Him.

Marked for death but saved by someone’s grace and mercy on his life, little Charlie has become one of the most confident and loveable dogs anyone could wish to own. He is loved, has purpose and a home with a sister with whom he plays with every day. The remarkable fact is, I prayed before we were ready to get another dog that God will help us find the right fit for our home and family. He certainly did. Charlie is perfect.

It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. Ephesians 2:1,2. The Message.