8. 04.
Just like Eunice, we are all dragons in need of a good skin shedding. We are all selfish and spoiled at times and are in need of Christ’s help to remove that old skin, for we can not remove it ourselves. Our attempts to remove the old are futile and only work backwards.
When we let Jesus remove the old, he will then give us a new life. Once again, only He can provide it, for it is only by Him that we are given a new life. When Christ rose from death, he rose to a completely new life than He had before, and it is this very life that He offers to us as new “skin”. The life we are given is a life that has defeated death and will live for eternity in the fellowship of our Creator, the One who is able to fulfill our greatest needs and desires.
One more thing… we must remember, when we are dealt a bad hand, and must suffer through something miserable, think about how God has the power to turn that miserable thing into an opportunity to shed another dragon layer and become more like who He intends us to be.
3. 04.
In the book “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, a spoiled little boy named Eunice is turned into a creature that resembled very much his own character, a dragon. Of course, he is devastated, but over time, he finds uses for becoming a dragon.
Eunice begins to help people. The Dawn Treader is in need of repairs, so Eunice helps with the heavy lifting. Over the next few days, the crew members of the ship notice a change in character. Eunice has gone from a spoiled, whiney little brat, to a helpful dragon.
When the Dawn Treader is once again ready to put to sea, Eunice decided he didn’t want to be a burden to King Caspian and his crew so he slips away into the forest, with the intention of living on the island for the rest of his dragon life. However, Aslan, the Great Lion shows up and guides him to a lake, where Eunice is supposed to take a bath. But first, Eunice must remove his “clothes”.
“But I’m not wearing any clothes,” Eunice thinks to himself. What Aslan wants him to do is shed his outer dragon skin. Eunice does this, but afterwards the skin is still dry and scaly. So, he proceeds to shed another layer, and another. After a few attempts, the skin doesn’t get any better.
Aslan is the One who must shed the skin. Only the Great Lion can completely remove the dragon skin from the boy. So, with His sharp claws, Aslan claws deep into the dragon skin and tears it with great pain to Eunice until there is nothing left but a naked boy. Eunice points out that he is now without clothes. Aslan responds, “I will dress you”.
I have more to say about this story, but for now, let this sink in…
31. 03.
It’s not a question of God “sending” us to Hell. In each of us there is something growing up which will of itself be Hell unless it is nipped in the bud.
C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock
I get so tired of people talking about how God can’t be a God of love if he sends us to hell.
God has given us an option between Heaven and Hell, and if we continue to ignore the fact that we are sinful people, Hell will eventually take over and heaven will no longer be an option.
William Knelsen