HESTER AND HERBIE   

 

Once there was a dog named Hester.  She was a good dog who lived in the city with her owner.  Hester wasn't much to look at.  She was a mixed-breed mutt with a limp in her walk and a kink in her long tail.  But, Hester was a faithful dog to the cruel and nasty man she lived with.  She only barked when strangers came by, and she wagged her tail politely when he threw some food down in front of her. 

 

One day, in the middle of winter, Hester became a mama.  It was odd for a dog to have puppies in the wintertime, but Hester did.  She had 3 little puppies.  One puppy was black and tan.  The other was brown with white spots.  The third puppy, named Herbie, was all black.  Herbie was born a runt.  That means he was born much smaller than the other puppies.  After a few weeks, the two bigger puppies didn't need to eat from their mama anymore.  They could eat food on their own.  The cruel owner decided to get rid of those puppies.  He sold them for $2 each to a man who lived outside of town.  The cruel owner was mad that he couldn't get any money for Herbie.  That's because Herbie was a runt.  Nobody wanted to have a runt puppy. 

 

It didn't matter to Hester that her little Herbie was a runt.  She loved him just the same and took good care of him.  He was her special little puppy.

 

One terrible day, on one of the coldest of cold winter days, the cruel owner decided he didn't want Herbie around anymore.  The man yelled that Herbie got underfoot too much and that he wasn't worth his keep.  "Herbie, you'll never amount to anything!"  the man told the little runt puppy.  On that terrible, cold day, the cruel man took Herbie and Hester in his car and dumped them out at the edge of the city.  He went back home without them.

 

Poor Hester and Herbie!  They were all alone in the freezing cold in a strange part of the city.  Where would they go?  What would they do?  There was nothing to do but look for something to eat and a place to sleep for the night.  After finding a few scraps to eat in an apartment building's garbage bin, Hester and Herbie settled down for the night under a cardboard box in a dark alley.  It was snowing now and very, very cold.  Hester covered Herbie up with her own body to shelter him from the storm.

 

The next morning, Herbie started to stir.  He was feeling hungry, but he was warm and alive.  But not Hester.  Her body was caked with snow and was frozen almost solid.  Hester was dead.  She had died through the night while trying to protect her little runt puppy from the cold.

 

Herbie's mama loved him so much that she was willing to suffer and die in order to keep Herbie warm and safe.  This reminds me of someone else . . . Someone who died so that you and I could live.

 

We would have to die for the wrong, sinful things we do, but Jesus, the Son of God, loved us so much that He was willing to die in our place.  Though He never did anything wrong, Jesus took the punishment for your sins and mine.  He died on the cross in our place.  Nails were put through Jesus' hands and feet to hang Him on the cross.  It hurt Him very much.  Just think how much Jesus had to suffer for you and me.  He did that willingly, because He wanted to.  He doesn't want us to die and be separated from God because of our sin.  The Bible says, "Christ (Jesus) died for our sins . . . he was buried . . . and that He rose again (came back to life) the third day" (I Corinthians 15:3,4).  Jesus went through all that so you and I can live forever with God in Heaven someday.

 

Jesus wants you to live.  He wants you to have eternal, everlasting life -- life that lasts forever with God in Heaven.  John 3:16 in the Bible tells us, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

 

Have you believed on God's Son?  Have you trusted Jesus to be your personal Savior?  If not, then make that important decision today.  Don't put it off.  Jesus died for you so you could live. 

 

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