The Leopard and His Spots

By Harold Smith

My story today is about a leopard and the leopard's spots. A leopard is a very vicious animal, it'll tear you to pieces in no time. Well, one time many years ago, an English circus was traveling in old Russia, before the Communists took over. They stopped in a certain city for an engagement and the animal keeper hired a Russian fellow to wash out some of the animal cages. The keeper couldn't speak any Russian, so it was necessary for him to show the Russian man what to do. So he took a bucket and some water and a scrub brush and he entered into the cage of a tame antelope, and he proceeded to scrub the cage floor. Then, as was his custom, he ran the brush up and down the back of the tame antelope a few times, much to the gentle animal's delight. Then, turning the bucket and brush over to his hired man, he went on his way. When he returned, he was horrified to see the Russian helper in the leopard's cage, vigorously rubbing the back of that dangerous beast with his brush. However, the huge cat seemed to be charmed at the massage it was receiving. Instead of showing signs of being mad it was stretched out its full length. It was really enjoying this new treatment, even though the man giving it didn't suspect that he was dealing with one of the worst and most vicious of all animals! "I don't know what the Russian is trying to do", the keeper thought, "he's likely trying to scrub those spots off of that leopard", for the leopard is a spotty animal. To be sure, he could scrub and scrub and scrub but could never take those spots away. That's what the prophet Jeremiah said, boys and girls: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil" - Jeremiah 13:23. The leopard can't change his skin, you could wash it with all the cleaning products you could get, but it would still be a spotted animal. You know, those spots are like our sins, the Bible says we can't get rid of them. Nothing we could do - all the good deeds, all the church-going and all the praying we could ever do - would ever get rid of one spot. But you know, the blood of Christ can! When you trust in Christ and His blood you can be washed whiter than snow. Do it and be saved today!