Two young men were walking along a rugged and remote beach near Pt. Renfrew on the southwest edge of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The waves were rolling onto the beach in regular succession. They would hit outcroppings of rock and send spumes of spray high into the air. Suddenly the regular pattern of the waves was broken when a rogue wave several times bigger and stronger than the other waves crashed into the men and knocked them over. Taken completely by surprise, they were carried by the receding wave out into deep water. One of the men swam with the wave and was able to fight his way back to the beach. The other, helpless in the strong current, was carried rapidly away from shore. Many yards out he was able to grab on to a strong piece of seaweed to stop his dangerous progress.
The man on shore frantically looked around for some way to save his friend. If only he had a rope he might throw him and pull him to safety! He could see nothing of the kind, so he decided his best chance was to run and look for help. It was only a few minutes before he returned with some people to help, but the friend he left clinging to the seaweed had disappeared from sight.
A search was quickly organized, calling in even U.S. Coast Guard helicopters. But the man’s body was never found.
To prevent such a tragedy from ever recurring, the authorities decided to erect three large signs along this section of beach warning hikers of “Dangerous Waves.” Hopefully beach walkers will read the signs and use proper caution.
In the Bible God has given us warnings about sin, death and hell too. God only tells of such things so that we can use proper caution to avoid them. Listen to the warnings contained in these verses: “The wages of sin is death,” “the soul that sinneth, it shall die,” and, “these shall go away into everlasting punishment.” These warnings are given by God in the hope that men will see their danger and realize their need to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.
On the cross the Lord Jesus gave His life so that hell-deserving sinners might go free. Because the death of His beloved Son means so much to God, He is willing to forgive, pardon and justify all who believe on Him.
If by reading God’s warnings about sin you realize your lost condition, you may reach out to Christ and receive the salvation He freely offers. You may receive His salvation as simply as a man who is being swept away to his death by a powerful current might reach out and grab on to a rope that is thrown to him. The Lord Jesus is the only Savior this world will ever know. There is no escaping the consequences of sin but through Him. If you place your faith in Him, you will never be in danger of being lost forever. Oh, believe the warnings God has given and reach out to the Savior today!