Max was a tough young man. He lived high in the Andes Mountains, and he could stand the harsh climate and the primitive living conditions. Cold winds whipped over the high plateau where he lived, and temperatures dropped below freezing. Max did not have the luxury of a furnace or even of a wood-burning stove.
Max did have warm capes called ponchos made of coarse, woven material. He had grown used to the harsh winters of the Andes Mountains and was young and healthy. He sometimes attended Bible meetings nearby. The Christians there encouraged everyone to think about their sinful ways and turn to the Lord Jesus for salvation.
Max did not enjoy such meetings and soon stopped going altogether. He had always been taught 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 upon God’s precious Word, the Bible, but God who is rich in mercy and great in love placed a warning in his life.
Although Max was young and most of the time he was healthy, he now got sick. He tried many remedies, never giving even one thought to the fact that it might be God’s way of speaking to him. In spite of the medicines, he only grew worse. Finally he had to go to a hospital. Even there nothing seemed to help, and he continued to get worse.
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 playing right into the devil’s hands, but that 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)). So Max waited in the hospital while his brother went to talk to the witch doctor.
However, “The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all” (Psalm 103:1919The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. (Psalm 103:19)). Jesus is stronger than Satan and He is able to rule over everything. He loves the sinner even when He hates the sin. For the Lord’s own reasons, He gave poor Max another opportunity to hear and obey His Word.
God was in control even when Max’s brother got to the witch doctor. The brother explained about Max’s illness. The only message the witch doctor gave was a most unexpected one: “Tell Max that he had something good and left it. If he doesn’t go back to it, he will die!”
This was a very strange message. It was not at all like the witch doctor’s usual messages, but God’s strong hand of love won a victory over the devil. 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. And he had left them. Now he must go back.
Max went back to the meetings and this time his heart was open to receive God’s Word. He heard 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)). Then he was told that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Max believed in the Lord Jesus and was saved. He also recovered completely from his illness. If you were to visit him today high in his mountain home, you would hear him telling others with joy that Jesus is stronger than Satan, and that “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 3:1616For 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)).
Boys and girls, God’s hand of love is also seeking to bring peace and salvation in your life. Call upon the Lord Jesus today and He will save you, too. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:1313For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)).