So they took him to the convention hotel–took his "before" photographs–and
then bathed him completely, shampooed his hair with the finest of products,
shaved his face and bathed it with creams and lotions, finely cut and styled
his hair, manicured his nails, sprayed him with cologne, put a brand new
suit, shirt and tie on him. And then they summoned the press to showcase
their wondrous achievement. It was quite a powerful before and after
contrast!
A week or so after the convention left town, a reporter with one of
the local newspapers decided to do a follow-up story on this bum turned
"fashion star." So she set off in search of the gentleman.
After much inquiry, she found him on the same street, down beside the same
gutter. A week's worth of rough stubble upon his once again greasy
face. His now no longer new suit and shirt once again splattered
with food and alcohol and the grime of the city street where he lay snoring!
They had just discovered the truth of the spotted leopard! They
could change this man on the outside, but they couldn't change his heart,
his nature.
And the moment we come face to face with the realization that try as
we might, not one of us can change our own heart let alone someone else's,
is the moment we will discover for ourselves the truth of the spotted leopard.
We can no more change our heart than a leopard can change his spots.
Jeremiah 13:23; Romans
7:18,19,15 We can make some outward changes, some behavioral
changes, but if the heart isn't changed, the life isn't transformed.
The truth of the spotted leopard–We cannot change ourselves, we cannot
save ourselves!
Home | Real Audio | Real Video | PDF Outline | Contact | Prayer
city and the nation the transformation a good haircut and a careful make-over
can achieve for a person? "Let's make one of those before and after
pictures!" And the convention heartily agreed.
