Dear Children,
Some time ago we had a family with three children visit us. The children sure liked our dog Chelsea, and they asked me if they could take her for a walk. I replied, “Sure, and I will come along too.”
It wasn’t long before one of the children asked me, “Grampa, are there any poisonous snakes around here?”
I answered, “Yes, we have a poisonous snake in this area and it’s a rattlesnake.” I think they all said, “WOW!” at the same time. But I went on to say, “I have never seen a rattlesnake in our yard yet.”
“Grampa, are you afraid of rattlesnakes?”
I replied, “No, I’m not afraid of them, but I don’t like them, because they are poisonous.”
Then one of the children asked, “Does the Bible talk about snakes?”
My answer was “yes, but they are not called snakes. God calls them serpents. The deadly enemy of our soul is Satan, or the devil, and God calls him a serpent!” And so as we made our way back to the house, I explained to these three children a little of what God has said about the serpent.
“Genesis 3:11Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Genesis 3:1) says, ‘The serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field.’ ” (Now the word “subtile” means clever, crafty and stays hidden in order to hurt people.) “Satan, or the serpent, is the one who tempted our first parents to sin - Adam and Eve, who lived in the beautiful Garden of Eden. This wicked serpent lied to them, and Eve believed him. So, they disobeyed God and He had to drive them out of the beautiful Garden of Eden.”
Now then, talking about a garden and a serpent, let me tell you what happened to Gramma and me in our garden a few days ago. It was time to pick the beans. Gramma started at one end of the row, and I started at the other end.
I no sooner got started when I came across a big, fat snake lying in the shade of the bean plants. I touched it with my finger to move it out of there, but instead of it moving across the garden, it started right down the row towards Gramma! I said to myself, Uh-oh, Gramma is not afraid of snakes, but she doesn’t like it when they creep up to her unawares and startle her. So I called to her, “There’s a snake coming your way.”
She looked at me with a grin on her face and said, “Oh yeah? Okay.”
I told her again, “There’s a snake coming your way! I’m not kidding or joking!” But she kept right on picking beans. Well, I didn’t have long to wait until I heard an “EEEEEEEEK!! . . . a snake!!” And she shouted, “Why didn’t you tell me there was a snake coming?”
By this time, I was laughing at her, but there was no big grin on her face! I said, “I DID tell you, but you didn’t believe me.”
She said, “It’s not funny at all! . . . I thought you were only joking.”
After a short conversation, we finished picking the beans. In the meantime, the snake slithered off into the rhubarb patch.
Children, our God in heaven gives warning that you must be born again (John 3:33Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)), that you must be saved (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)), that you must be converted (Matthew 18:33And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)), or you will never be in heaven (John 3:55Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)). He is not kidding or joking! He is very truthful and serious! He has said in John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6), “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” God’s way is the ONLY way to heaven!
I am sorry to say that there are some out there who will tell you to “do the best you can and you will be okay.” This is a lie from the devil, the serpent! We see what happened to our first parents, Adam and Eve, who believed this wicked serpent’s lies and did not listen to God’s warning: “Thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:1717But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17)). God is not joking!
Children, Gramma and I hope you will believe and obey what God tells us in the Bible.
Lots of love from Gramma and Grampa
ML-05/02/2004