A father and son were out on the sea in their small fishing boat one day, looking for hawksbill turtles. (At that time their shell sold for a high price to be used in the manufacture of "tortoise shell" combs, brushes, and other small and expensive items.) Soon they spotted one, clearly visible in the beautiful transparent waters of the Bahamas. Anxiously they pursued it, estimating that its shell would sell for considerably more than $100.00.
But the turtle eluded them, vanishing among the corals of the reef, and all their efforts proved to be in vain. They went again to the same spot the next day, and the next, but in spite of hours of searching, they saw no more of their wished-for prize.
At last the father gave it up as a waste of time. The son, however, decided to continue the search alone. He told his father that if he stayed home and the turtle was captured, the father would lose his share of the money it brought, but the father was not to be persuaded.
The boy pled with his father, saying, "You know, Dad, very often the day you stay home is the very day you would succeed, so you had better come."
But the older man said, "No," and he meant, "No." The boy urged and coaxed, but he finally had to go alone.
As it turned out, that very day he caught the turtle. In triumph he returned to the little village with his catch. The news had preceded him by another boat, and so, when he landed his prize on the wharf, quite a number of the villagers were there to see it. Among them was the father, who had forfeited his share of the prize money. If he had only gone out that morning—but it was too late.
"Say, Son," he cried, "why didn't you take me with you?"
"You know I asked you, Dad."
"Yes, but you should have urged me to go," replied the disappointed old fisherman.
"I did, Father—you know I did."
"But why didn't you plead with me," the old fisherman insisted.
"You know I tried as hard as I knew how to get you to go, Father, but you just simply wouldn't."
"But Son," wailed the old man, "you should have made me go!"
The loss of the prize money was a severe loss to the old man, for money did not come easily in his life. But after all, his loss was only money. Do you ever stop to think that you are in danger of losing your precious soul?
Your soul stands for your life, your real living. You are in danger of losing forever the blessedness of really living—of knowing eternally the joy of life, divine life, a life of perfect joy and peace and glory.
Instead, you are facing eternal death, eternal woe, the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth of which our Lord Jesus speaks. And in the day of judgment you might think of the Christians you have known and wail, "Why, oh why, did they not ask me to come to Christ—why did they not urge me—why didn't they make me go?"
If we only could, we surely would. We can't make you go, but we can plead with you. Once more we urge you to come to Christ as a guilty sinner and trust Him as your Savior. He died for you that you might live forever with Him.
Come to Him now; make no delay. Today is the day of salvation!