We didn’t know it, but something had been living inside our outdoor grill for quite a while. We had stored the grill behind our garage for the winter months. A heavy, black, cloth-lined cover was placed over it to protect it from the snowy, winter weather.
In the early spring, it was time to wheel the grill closer to the house where we would use it during the summer months. It was a bumpy ride over the grass, but we finally reached the spot where it would stay for the summer.
We carefully took off the black cover, and then we lifted the grill’s metal cover. There was a surprise waiting for us under that cover! What do you suppose we found?
A tiny, little field mouse was running from one end of the grill to the other end, and it had such frightened eyes! In one corner of the grill, down at the bottom, was a fluffy little white nest. It was just the size of the mouse. We discovered later that the white fluff the nest was made out of came from the cloth lining of the top cover.
To our surprise, the little mouse did not escape from the grill, even though there were several spaces for him to crawl through to get out. He just didn’t want to leave - he had a safe place to live and a soft, little nest. We decided to let him stay in the grill and closed the cover again. When we peeked in on him later that evening, he was curled up in his soft, little nest.
It seemed that little mouse had fixed up a perfect place to live. The snow couldn’t reach him. He had a warm nest to sleep in. He could easily get in and out when he wanted to go find food. And it was a safe place that protected him from hawks and other enemies. But you and I know that what we think is perfect in this life doesn’t stay that way. This world is full of sin and unhappiness, and it always will be, because man brought sin into the perfect world that God had created for us. And the results of our sin affect even the animals, birds, fish and plant life . . . including the little field mouse.
That night it rained. When we checked on the little mouse the next morning, the nest looked wet and the mouse was gone! Somehow, the rain had gotten the inside of the grill wet, and now his safe, warm spot had become an unhappy and miserable place to live. We did not see that little mouse again.
Most of us know something about unhappiness, and sometimes it is a result of our sins. But we have a loving God who loves us in spite of our sins and offers us a home in heaven where there will be no sin and its unhappy results . . . ever! That presents a problem - you and I could never be accepted into His home in heaven with all our sins, and there’s no way we can get rid of them by ourselves. The Bible plainly tells us our good deeds won’t work: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9)).
Now, did you see that the verse mentions a “gift”? God is offering you and me an amazing gift, and another Bible verse tells us what that gift is: “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). That’s the answer for our sins! There’s nothing that you and I can do - it’s all been done by Jesus!
Jesus shed His blood on Calvary’s cross, and His blood can wash away every single sin that we have committed. All we need to do is tell Him we are truly sorry for our sins and that we believe He took the punishment for them on the cross. Then that promise of eternal life in heaven is ours! The sin problem is solved! What a wonderful gift! But have you accepted it for yourself?
ML-04/29/2007