Max was a strong young man. He lived high in the Andes Mountains of South America, where he was used to the harsh climate and the simple way of life. Cold winds whipped over the high plateau where he lived, and temperatures dropped below freezing, but Max did not have a furnace or even a wood-burning stove. Max did have warm capes called ponchos made of rough, woven material.
Max sometimes went to Bible meetings held near his house. The Christians there taught that people should think about their sinful ways and turn to the Lord Jesus for salvation.
Max did not enjoy those meetings, so he stopped going. He had grown up with other ideas about religion anyway. Some of those ideas were superstitions that had been passed on from his ancestors, the Inca Indians.
Max did not know at that time how serious it was to turn his back on God’s love and His precious book, the Bible. But God still loved him, and He put a strong warning in his life.
Although Max was young and healthy, he suddenly got sick. He tried many medicines, but nothing worked. Max never stopped to think that this might be God speaking to him. In spite of everything he tried, he just got worse. Finally, he had to go to a hospital. Even there nothing helped, and he got sicker and sicker.
One day, Max’s older brother went to visit him in the hospital. Since he wasn’t getting better, Max asked his brother to do a very serious and dangerous thing. He asked his brother to go to the witch doctor to ask for help. Max and his brother did not realize that this was not only dangerous, because it was getting involved with the devil’s power, but it was also sinful in God’s sight. The witch doctor’s power was from the devil, and the Bible says that the devil’s work is “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:1010The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)), not to help people.
However, “the Lord [has] prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom [rules] over all” (Psalm 103:1919The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. (Psalm 103:19)). God is stronger than Satan and He is able to rule over everything. God loves sinners even though He hates their sins. In His great love, He was going to give Max another opportunity to hear and obey His Word.
God was in control even when Max’s brother arrived at the witch doctor’s house. The brother explained about Max’s illness, but the only message the witch doctor gave was a very unexpected one: “Tell Max that he had something good and left it. If he doesn’t go back to it, he will die!”
That was a very strange message. It was not at all like the witch doctor’s normal messages, but God’s hand of love won a victory over the devil that day. When Max heard the message, he knew right away what it was that he had left: the Bible meetings! They were good even if he hadn’t enjoyed them at the time, and he had left them. Now he must go back.
Max went back to the meetings and this time his heart was ready to receive God’s Word. He heard again that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)) and that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)). This time when he heard, Max believed in the Lord Jesus and was saved from his sins. Soon, Max recovered completely from his illness. After that, if you went to visit him in his mountain home, you would hear him joyfully telling others that Jesus is stronger than Satan and telling the good news that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever [believes] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
Children, do you know what made the difference in Max? At first, he found the Bible meetings boring, but later he wanted to share the things he learned there with others, and he loved to talk about them. What made the difference was that he was now born into the family of God. If your family is talking about someone you know and love, it might not be interesting to someone who isn’t part of your family. But for someone in the family, it is interesting because they know and love that person. If you are born into the family of God by believing what He says about Jesus and how to have your sins forgiven, you will love what God loves. God loves His Son, the Lord Jesus, and His people and all the people in the world too. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that [loves] is born of God, and [knows] God” (1 John 4:77Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (1 John 4:7)).
Messages of God’s Love 9/17/2023