I was listening to a minister last night on YouTube, and I heard a story that kind of stuck in my head. I thought that this story might be worth sharing.
There was a lion that was chasing an antelope for hours. This lion had chased this antelope across numerous plains for miles so he could have it as his meal. The Lion was close to catching the antelope, but the antelope took a sharp turn and leaped into the river. Unlucky was the antelope, because in the river was a crocodile. The crocodile snatched the antelope and killed it and began to swim away. The lion was pretty furious. It had just chased this antelope for a long time, and its prey ultimately fell victim to another predator. But this lion was not going to back down. This lion jumped into the water and pursued the crocodile. It was almost as if the Lion was saying ‘You have something that belongs to me, and I intend to take it back!‘ Keep in mind, this lion was out of his element. The crocodile clearly had the upper hand. The crocodile saw that the lion was pursuing it, and it let go of the antelope and swam off – out of fear of the lion. The lion then took his antelope and had his meal.
I am reminded of this passage – “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1 NASB) Think of the lion and its wonderful qualities. A magnificent creature designed by God. Its strength and boldness makes it the king of the African Wilderness. In Proverbs 30:30, “The Lion which is mighty among beasts and does not retreat before any.” This lion in the story saw something being taken from him and he went after it.
When I look at the Church today, I see that the Church has become passive to the world around it. Rather than the Church transforming and impacting the world, I see more of the world impacting the Church; Members of the body of Christ being completely passive to sinners they interact with on the daily. The one who lives in sin is like the antelope inside the mouth of the crocodile. If we are to be righteous and bold like lions, then we should pursue the sinner and try to make a God-fearing and repentant Christian out of them. However, we have become fearful. As a fellow member of the Body of Christ, I challenge everyone, including myself, to pursue those who are in the mouths of Satan and bring them to repentance.
Likewise, Jesus Christ – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and God in the flesh- saw us in the mouths of Satan, and he pursued us all the way to the cross. And when he died on the cross, Satan was defeated and we had a hope of redemption to God. It is up to us to live this repentant life as well.
I hope you have a great week :).
Gospel Traveler 