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The hungry fox – a fable from Leonardo da Vinci

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
(1.Peter 5, 8)

In a fable, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) tells us about a hungry fox who was relaxing under a tree and regarded a swarm of noisy magpies. "The fox began to watch them without being noticed. He observed that the birds were always on the hunt for food and were not afraid of lowering themselves to pick for food, even from the carcases of dead animals. Let’s try it out, said the fox to himself and opened his mouth gradually and silently. He pretended to be dead. Shortly afterwards, a magpie noticed this and flew down from the tree. The magpie came closer and started to pick at the tongue of the „dead“ fox. She left her head in the fox’s mouth like in a trap". "Satan sails with every wind and blows us in the direction, to which we tend through the weakness in our own nature.

Is our knowledge of faith failing? He leads us into confusion.
Is our knowledge flimsy? He tries to make us fearful and lead us over exaggerated accuracy.
Is our knowledge extensive? He tries to lead us to carnal freedom.
Are we confident? He tries to make us overconfident.
Are we shy and mistrusting? He tries to make us despair.
Do we have a pliable nature? He tries to make us instable.
Are we stubborn? He works on making heretics or rebels of us.

Brothers (and sisters), we want to urge ourselves to have faith in concern and resonance! Whether we are poor or ill, through the blood of Christ we will be winners in all things and conquer things through the power of his spirit. Give God the knowledge that we all trust in Jesus! May those, which have not yet begun to trust him, find the way and begin today".
(By Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

Kurt Selchow

With kind permission of the Advent-Verlag in Germany (www.advent-verlag.de)