Flavio’s friend Clemente was visiting him for a few days in central Brazil. One morning Flavio took Clemente to see the lions at his father’s zoo.
Flavio stood near the cage of a huge male lion. He called to his friend, “Clemente, come watch this.”
Flavio gave a low whistle. To Clemente’s surprise the big lion sauntered over to the bars and purred like a big cat as it let Flavio stroke its mane and back. “Here, you try now,” invited Flavio. Clemente reached in and stroked the lion just like Flavio had and found the lion quite calm. Flavio explained, “We had this lion in our home when he was a cub. I played with him as he was growing up. He’s pretty tame.”
Flavio went across to a nearby cage and caught and killed a pigeon. “Now watch this,” said Flavio. He threw the dead pigeon on top of the lion’s cage. With a sudden taste for blood, the lion leaped at the bird and, clawing it down from the roof of his cage, he started to eat this unexpected feast. “Don’t try to pet him now,” warned Flavio. “His old, wild nature has returned.”
Just like the “tame” lion, those of us who are Christians have two natures. One is “tame” (the Bible calls it the new man) which the Lord Jesus gives us as soon as we believe in Him as our personal Saviour. The other is “wild” (the Bible calls it the old man) and is controlled by Satan. If we feed upon the world and its pleasures, the old nature shows out and we displease the Lord. But if we feed on God’s Word, the Bible, the new nature will show and others will see that we belong to Jesus.
ML-12/29/1991