How to Become a Crocodile

“Who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boat as if you had not received it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7

There once was a beautiful and talented river creature who would sing delightful songs to attract small animals to the banks of the river. Once there, the animals would be so captivated by the beauty of both its person and its song that it was able to capture the creatures for dinner. Its loveliness was a gift from heaven and it had a purpose. However, it became so proud of its song that it sang constantly, bringing more animals to itself than it needed to eat. It began killing for the sheer pleasure of killing. It became so caught up in its own beauty that it became sensuous. It would sunbathe all day and roll about in the mud simply to feel it sliding over its skin.

After a while, it sang so much that its voice grew tough and it could only croak. It spent so much time in the sun and rolling in the mud that its skin became tough and leathery. From being a beautiful river nymph, it transformed over time into a crocodile!

Any gift from God can be misused. We are susceptible to the sin of abusing the good things that our Father brings our way. We may be good looking and be susceptible to sensuousness. We may be intelligent and susceptible to pride. Patience may become procrastinating laziness. Diligence may turn into “workaholism.”

We must be careful to not turn the gifts of God into the tools of the Devil! Peter once made a great step forward when he proclaimed to the Christ, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matt. 16:13-19) The Christ commended him for his realization. However, Peter became filled with pride and in the very following verses (vv. 21-23) he took our Lord aside and rebuked Him for saying that He would have to die. Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Peter had gone from holding the keys to the Kingdom to camping out in Hell’s doorway!

Do not get so caught up in your good works that you begin thinking that the Kingdom of God cannot be built without you! Take other’s proclamations of your wisdom with a grain of salt. Do not take credit for the life lessons you have learned. Give that credit to the Master Teacher at whose knee you received the instruction. The Bible says that when we become a Christian that old things are passed away and we can look forward to new things. We are all constantly transforming. The question is – what are you transforming into?