WHAT an interesting picture we have before us! Surrounded by the beautiful trees and flowers is a kind-looking mother with her little boy.
She has doubtless come down to the stream with her pitcher to get some water, and seeing the pretty little ducklings, has sat down to watch them.
But there is another mother watching them, and she does not look so happy. Little chickens do not know how to swim, and if they did not keep out of the water, they would be drowned. But ducks can swim, and it is the nature of the little ones to run right into the water as soon as they see it. The hen does not know the difference between them and the little chicks, so when she sees the ducklings in the water, she looks quite frightened, for she fears they will be drowned.
Just as it is the nature of the ducklings to swim and to love the water, so it is the nature of children to sin and love to have their own way. All people, old and young alike, have sinful natures and love sin. But God is holy. He hates sin, and we cannot go to be with Him unless we get a new nature that also hates sin. And how can we get this? Jesus died on the cross to bear our sins. He was made sin for us, and when we believe on Him, we receive a new nature that never sins, but always delights in doing good. It is this new nature that brings forth the “Fruit of the Spirit.”
The old sinful nature is still in us, and so we are sometimes tempted to do, naughty things. But we must ask God every day to help us to do right, and not allow the sinful nature to have its way. “PRESERVE ME, O, GOD: FOR IN THEE DO I PUT MY TRUST.” Psa. 16:1.
ML 06/07/1925