When we arrived at the campground, it was early afternoon and most of the campsites were already taken. Thankfully there were a few left, so we chose one and paid for it. We carefully put our payment stub in the correct slot in the glass case so it was obvious that site had been taken and paid for. Then we set up our “CAMPSITE OCCUPIED” sign at the front of the site and anchored it with five good-sized rocks. With everything taken care of, we left in our camper to explore the area.
When we returned to the campground at about 5:30, we were surprised to find a station wagon parked in our campsite and a woman and her young daughter eating their supper at our picnic table. The woman said there had been no sign. She had seen our payment stub, but she told us she talked to the camp ranger and he said it was okay if she took the site.
We decided to speak to the ranger ourselves. We only paid a few dollars for that campsite and we only bought it for one night. That payment stub was proof of our payment. It “sealed the transaction” that the campsite belonged to us for one night.
There are different ways that transactions are sealed. We had a payment stub. In a store you are given a sales receipt when you buy food or clothing. When you buy a house you receive a contract that is signed by both the seller and you the buyer. And God also seals the transaction for each person whose sins He washes away.
Have you been bought by the precious blood of Christ? Have you believed that He died for your sins? If so, then you belong to Him. He has given you proof of His payment by not only giving you eternal life, but by sending the Holy Spirit to live in you. That seals the transaction. The Bible explains this in Ephesians 1:1314: “After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:2728). Once we belong to Christ we are His forever. No one can ever change that.
But when it came to our campsite, it looked like our sealed transaction had been changed. So we went to the ranger. He said, “Tell me exactly what happened.”
When we explained he said, “She did not speak to a ranger. You wait here. She has done wrong, and I will go and talk to her.”
In about 20 minutes we had our campsite back.
The camper in the site across from ours told us he saw the woman drive right over our “CAMPSITE OCCUPIED” sign. When he told her we had been there and would soon return, she picked up the sign and threw it away. Then she put a payment stub over ours, trying to make it look as though the site was really hers. It didn’t work.
And it doesn’t work to say you have salvation if you haven’t honestly come to the Lord Jesus, telling Him you are truly sorry about your sins and believing that He paid the cost for your sins on the cross.
Do you really belong to the Lord Jesus? or are you a pretender?
ML-01/12/1997