{"id":35998,"date":"2025-08-09T11:37:32","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T15:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=35998"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:42:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T19:42:54","slug":"all-hands-and-paws-on-deck-theres-a-need-for-everybody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=35998","title":{"rendered":"All Hands and Paws on Deck- There’s a Need for Everybody!"},"content":{"rendered":"

God’s two greatest commands are to 1) love God with all our strength, and 2) love our neighbor as ourselves.\u00a0 God created all of us- people and animals- for His glory.\u00a0 God’s living creatures might crawl, walk, run, fly, or slither.\u00a0 But regardless of how we look or how we get around, we’re all part of God’s creation and We all have a divine purpose.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

And God wants us to take care of His animals; regardless of how many legs they have!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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The righteous care for the needs of their animals,<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n

Proverbs 12<\/a>:10<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div> \n

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God’s Amazing Creation<\/span><\/h3>\n

Think about all the different animals in the world that God has created!\u00a0 Scientists estimate that nearly 8.7 million species of different animals populate the earth today.\u00a0 \u00a0God created animals to show his power and creativity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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In 1967, a group called the Irish Rovers recorded a “one hit wonder” song called “The Unicorn<\/a>.” It portrays a conversation between God and Noah about all the animals that needed to be saved from the coming flood.\u00a0 The song described the variety of animals that are in the world today (except for those “silly unicorns” who were too busy playing to get on to the ark)…<\/span><\/p>\n

There was green alligators and long-necked geese<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The loveliest of all was the unicorn.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

~\u00a0 ~\u00a0 ~<\/span><\/p>\n

And take some of them green alligators and long-necked geese<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Don’t you forget my unicorn”<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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God’s Variety of Animals Fulfill God’s Special Purposes<\/span><\/h3>\n

God created animals because in the Old Testament he used them for sacrifice and food.<\/p>\n

But people did something terrible.\u00a0 They made them into idols. The Israelites worshipped the golden calf, the Egyptians worshiped snakes and crocodiles.\u00a0 God got angry when people worshipped animals because that represented running away from him.\u00a0 We humans re-purposed animals for our own misguided and selfish purposes, but God has other plans.<\/p>\n

Throughout the Bible, we can see the role that animals played in the story of God’s people: both how God used them for His special purposes, and how we misused them for our sinful purposes:<\/p>\n