It was my hap today to be in a group that watched a documentary on life in the Serengeti Plain of East Africa and in the Kruger Park in South Africa.
Of course it was interesting; but it was also very sad. To a great extent, the "Africa" story is the predation of the strong over the weak; come sundown and darkness over the African plains, and there is predation, cruel and blood-thirsty.
It's always the strong over the weak, merciless and cruel.
An exception is the giraffe; they are gentle to everybody and are not predators over anybody; their strictly vegetarian diet doubtless has much to do with their gentleness and their "live and let live" philosophy of life; but they are the exceptions in the African plains.
But there is a change coming: the Lord has promised that He will create "new heavens and a new earth" and "they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain" (Isaiah 65:25). The Lord's "holy mountain" is the "new heavens and new earth" that He will create (vs. 17).
There will come a great change over wolves and lions: "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock. ... They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord" (65:25).
That's a great change to come over the lion! A change in his very nature from the inside out.
There will be no lion present in the new earth that the Lord will create that has not had his very nature changed in this way!
And there is good news of righteousness by faith in this story of the change in the lion's nature: it will be the Lord Jesus who changes the nature of the lion! Yes, although the lion is not capable of understanding theology, he will demonstrate for all the world to see, this change in the lion's basic nature from the inside out!
Our fallen, sinful nature that is "enmity against God" (Romans 8:7) is to be changed now, today, through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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