The SCORPION & The FROG

​Let’s think about ourselves in 2 parts: Personality and Nature.  Personality being the outer, moldable layers of our soul, while Nature refers to the deeper unchanging forces of our core being.  Consider the parable of The Scorpion & The Frog…
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The scorpion solicits a ride across the river from the frog.  In exchange for the ride he offers to protect the frog.  The frog, knowing the deadly nature of scorpions, refuses, saying, Absolutely not! You’re a killer.  I’ll get you partway across the stream and you’ll sting me to death.  It’s what you do.  But the scorpion has developed a charming personality, and becomes convinced that he has risen above his lethal nature, which surprises the frog into changing his mind.  The frog agrees to the partnership....

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Half way across the river they encounter turbulence, and the scorpion, overcome with fear, reacts by repeatedly stinging the frog.  As they both begin to sink the dying frog says, Why did you sting me, knowing you would drown with me?!  To which the scorpion, having his refined personality vaporized by the pressure of the circumstances, replies, Well, you knew I was a scorpion, what did you expect? 

People will work on their personality to accommodate their goals.  With a personality makeover they might convince themselves, and sometimes even others, that they’ve changed, and risen above their sinful ways.  Our personality can be refined to better behavior.  But like the scorpion, under times of stress and testing, it’s often overridden by a sudden burst of Nature. The Bible is clear: lasting transformation must occur in the Nature of a person.  

Among (the sons of disobedience) we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were BY NATURE children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. —Eph. 2:3

Refining your Personality w/o changing your Nature leaves you like the scorpion who thinks he can safely ride a frog (until the right conditions reveal his Nature).  How many marriages were put together by Personality only to be torn apart by Nature?  The poor scorpion wants to be and do good, but can’t rise above what he is.  This is the dilemma of every sinner.  Oh how we long for true freedom!  Freedom from the sin nature that defeats us. 

Romans 6:8-14 declares that we who live in Christ have been transformed from our old nature of sin to the new nature of His righteousness.  Then Jesus’ transplanted nature of righteousness in us, supplies the power of His grace to affect lasting change in our personalities.  

It is that very longing to be free that brought Christ into the world.  If you have that desire in your heart today Jesus is here to free you from sin, and give you His nature of perfect love.  Your personality can finally be supported by the wonderful grace of a nature of righteousness.  If you believe in Jesus, ask Him now to become your Savior today.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. —2Cor. 5:17

Stay On The Path!