IN AFRICA there are spiders with I long hairy legs and some of them are almost as large as a saucer. They are very poisonous and their bite means death if one cannot get to a doctor or hospital in time.
One day a missionary went into his kitchen and there on the floor was one of these big black spiders. At once the missionary hurried away to get his spear.
Standing about five feet from the spider he began playing with it a little, touching it lightly with the end of his spear. He noticed that it stood higher on its legs.
He then brought the spear to about six inches from his leg. All of a sudden the spider stood up on its two back legs and leaped five feet through the air toward him, landing directly on the spear. It tried to bite the spear and he could see the poison running down the handle.
The missionary thought, what a straight aim that spider had! and how thankful to the Lord he was that it had not landed on his leg. The missionary killed the spider, but thought how foolish he was to play with such a dangerous thing.
Perhaps you would know better than to play with a poisonous spider, but are you playing with something far more dangerous — playing with sin? Sin is a deadly plaything — a lie, a joke, an act of disobedience, or some secret sin is Satan’s way to lead one down to shame, dishonor, and perhaps eternal death. God says, “The soul that sinneth it shall die.” Ezek. 18:44Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4).
How can we be free from sin’s guilt and power? It is only through the death of the Lord Jesus whom God sent into this world to be our Saviour. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,” God says, (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)) and “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7). We must believe, we must accept Christ as our Saviour to be saved and set free from sin.
ML-11/28/1971