Beloved and Mr. Bingley

      Introducing---Bingley!

     The newest boy in the Fountain family.   We picked  him up last night, and here he is with his new siblings, all sitting on the kitchen floor.  By this point last evening, we had already taken 7,000 pictures...and had completely fallen in love with him.  But it was love at first glimpse--the moment we saw his little black fur peaking out through the sides of the kennel crate.
      No, no, I take that back.  It was actually love at first moment...the moment we decided Bingley was going to be ours.  Way back a few weeks ago, when we choose him while he was still a wee little pup with his mama and his other siblings.  When we choose him, he became ours, our beloved little puppy who would always belong to our family.
     And I couldn't help but think--isn't that exactly what God does with us?  He chose us before the creation of the world to be His very own, His beloved children.  He chose to adopt us into His family...and so we are forever a part of His kingdom.  Yes, we have to choose Him by making Jesus our Savior, but all along, it's really all by His sovereign grace that He chooses us. O thank You, Father!
     And just as we adored Bingley from that very first moment, so too, our Father loves us with a love we cannot begin to fathom.  We are truly His beloved.  The beloved of the Beginning and the End.  Incredible.
     Just this morning, I read in Daily Light, "The Lord delights in you." (Isa.62:4)  O to think the Lord of the universe delights in us!  Just as we delight in our sweet little Bingley.
     And God's delight doesn't diminish one iota when we mess up or miss the mark...nor does our delight in Bingley (though he's already have a few "accidents!").  We're still crazy about him--not for anything he does...but simply for who and what he is--our precious puppy.  It's all just the tiniest glimpse of the way our Father cherishes us simply because we are His.  Thank You, Father.      Last night, he got up...a lot.  But somehow, I wasn't one bit irritated...even with his hoooowling.  In fact, I got up pretty cheerfully at 3:00 a.m. to take him outside.  And then came back in and played fetch with him.  (I know--not a good plan--I'll do better tonight and just put him back to bed.  But I couldn't resist.)

 Look how jaunty he looks for 3:15 a.m.!  I, on the other hand, didn't look quite so dapper...but I was sure delighting in him!
     And I'm thinking God doesn't mind it when we howl or keep Him up at night.  Nope, because here's what else I read today: "But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." (Isa.43:1)
     He doesn't just know our names; He calls us by name.  He has redeemed us and sustains us and even right this very moment, He is calling you, calling me, by name.  Why?  He tells us--"You are mine."  
     We are His beloved.  We are His redeemed.  We are His.
     Just as Bingley is ours.  We bought him (which is one of the meanings of redeem--to buy back).  We named him, and he is ours.
     So thank You, Lord Jesus, for choosing us.  For redeeming us.  For delighting in us.  For calling us by name.
     And thank you for Bingley.  Here he is a little later this morning--after our early morning, all night play session--

     Boy, I know the feeling....but thank You, Jesus, that we rest in You.
     And thank You for yet another gift from Your gracious, glorious hand--our Bingley.  Help us to remember this day that You delight in us and call us by name for we are Yours.  Might we live this day as children of the King.
     To God be the glory.