Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, – Mat 5:16
I got this hilarious image of a leopard with its head stuck in a cooking
pot from a dear friend of mine. One of the first thoughts that came to me was, “This is the kind of humiliating predicament
an uber jungle predator gets into when they decide to wander into people’s
kitchens”.
Big cats are famous for their skills in hunting live prey. However it’s
very unlikely that pot had a live prey in it, so what was the leopard looking
for? Antelope Soup? Bushmeat stew?
But who are we to judge the leopard’s newfound culinary tastes? Every
human being at some point gets into some trouble for sticking their heads where
they know they shouldn’t. But by the mercies of God, and the help of friends
and families, we all end up bouncing back to normalcy, right?
Well, as we see in this picture, help is not always automatic.
It’s apparent from the image that the people do NOT want to harm the
leopard. If they wanted to, then they had the perfect opportunity. On the
contrary, they want to free the leopard from its self-inflicted trap.
So why don’t they? Why are they just standing around? Your guess is as
good as mine. It’s because they cannot guarantee their safety once the pot is off the
leopard’s head. Like my friend said, “Sometimes, people would really like to help
you but… YOUR BEHAVIOUR.”
We’re used to thinking that our good works – our shining as lights – is
for the benefit of God’s Kingdom and for His glory (Mt 5:16); but the truth is,
it’s also for our benefit. Some of the things God does for us require Him
acting through men on our behalf; and the answers to some of your prayers are
hinged on how we treat others and/or have treated them in the past.
Keyword: REPUTATION
AMEN.
More Blessings await you today; you’ll not
miss them in Jesus’ Name.
GREG ELKAN
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