Memory Verse: “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1
It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and warm for November, when I drove out to visit Mr. Abel Moses. I had been told that he was 94 years old and that, until recently, he had been a very healthy and active man. In fact, he had even driven his own car until a few weeks earlier when he was in an accident. He had been in the hospital for two weeks, but was now at home again. However, he was getting weaker and was not expected to live much longer.
After parking my car I saw Mr. Moses sitting on the front porch of his house. He was bundled up in blankets and sitting in a wheel chair, enjoying the autumn sun.
Walking up, I introduced myself. I explained that I was in town having some special gospel meetings and had heard about his accident.
“If you have come out here to invite me to some gospel meetings, you are wasting your time,” he said.
“It’s going to be a long time before I am able to go anywhere again.”
I told him that I knew he would not be able to get out to the meetings, but wondered if I could visit with him and read some verses from the Bible.
“Well, I’ll be glad to have you stay and talk to me, but I don’t want you preachin’ any. I don’t want to talk religion,” he said firmly.
“Why not?” I asked. “What do you have against the Lord Jesus? He died to save men like you and me, and it seems to me you would be glad to talk about Him.”
This time the old man’s reply was sharp. “I am not a fool!” he said angrily. “I don’t intend to die without being saved first! But I don’t want to talk about that this morning. And,” he added, “if you try to preach to me again, I’m gonna have to ask you to get in your car and leave.”
“Okay.” Changing the subject I said, “I hear that you are 94 years old.”
“Sure am," he said proudly. “I guess I’m the oldest person anywhere around these parts. And I’ve never been sick a day in my life, until that’ man drove in front of me and made me have a wreck. I sure was surprised when I woke up in the hospital!”
We talked about the many things that he had experienced through his long lifetime. He was a great reader and was able to discuss history in detail. He told me that he had traveled upstate as a young man to hear gospel meetings. He mentioned several of the speakers by name that he had heard and enjoyed.
“Doesn’t it bother you,” I asked, “to realize that you have sat through so many gospel meetings, and yet you have not accepted Jesus Christ?”
Instantly, the old man was angry again. “I told you I didn’t want to hear any preachin’ out of you,” he said. “You either change the subject or leave!”
So I changed the subject again and remarked, “Since you are 94 years old I doubt if any of your boyhood friends are still living.”
“Nope,” he said, “I don’t have any boyhood friends still livin', and I don’t have any enemies still livin', either,", he grinned. “It’s nice not to have any enemies, but it sure is lonesome not to have any friends.”
“I know one Friend who loves you very much,” I said, “but you don’t want me to talk to you about Him.”
The old man looked up sternly at me, waiting for me to say something else. I asked him, “How much older do you think you will live to be?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he answered. “Nobody knows that.”
“Do you think you might live to be one hundred years old?” I asked.
“If I hadn’t been in that car wreck, I would have,” he answered. “But not now...not the way I feel now.”
“What about 99, or 98?” I asked.
He was beginning to lose his patience with me again. “I haven’t thought much about how long I will live,” he said, “and I don’t want to think about that this morning, either.”
“Please don’t be angry with me,” I said. “After all, I don’t often get to talk with a man who is 94 years old. Let me ask you just one more question about your age. This is November; do you think that you will live until New Year’s day?”
Instead of being angry as I had expected, the old man looked down at his blanket-wrapped body, shaking his head as he looked up at me and answered, “Probably not.”
“Mr. Moses,” I said as I put my hand on his shoulder, “you have learned many things in your 94 years of life. Surely, you have learned not to keep putting off something you should have taken care of long ago. God has already given you 94 years. You do not know if you will live another month. So, you must know that you ought to be saved right now. I believe God has sent me out here to talk with you, to give you one more chance to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour.”
The old man went into a rage! “You get away from here this minute!” he yelled.
I knelt beside his chair, looked up into his face and said, “Please, Mr. Moses, let me read some verses to you from the Bible.”
But he would have none of it. “Get out of here!” he shouted, “Get in that car and go! I don’t want to hear another word out of you!”
He began to cough, and I wondered if he would die right there in his chair. Closing my Bible, I turned and slowly walked to my car. Before I drove away, I prayed that God might use the word spoken for blessing.
Although I never saw Abel Moses again, that is not the end of the story. That evening after speaking to a large crowd, I greeted each one as they left the room. To one older, white-haired man, whom I had not seen before, I asked, “Did you come tonight to hear how to be saved?”
“No,” he said with a big smile. “I was saved when I heard you preach this morning.”
“I’m sorry, but you must be mistaken,” I answered. “I did not preach this morning.”
“Oh, yes you did,” he said, “and I heard you. Abel Moses is my father, and I was standing right inside the screen door when you were talking with him on our front porch.”
Yes, it was true! Even though I had not been able to see him, he had heard everything I had said to his father. He had seen that he needed to have his sins forgiven even though his father had not. He had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. Sam Moses was in his early 70's.
Abel Moses died only a few days later. As far as anyone knows he died without being saved, and so he would not be in heaven. He had heard the gospel many times. And still he did not want to talk about dying or about his need of a Saviour.
In 94 long years there were many things that Abel Moses learned. But one thing he did not learn was the danger of putting things off until later. I’m sure that he really thought that he was going to be saved before he died. Most failures in our lives are not caused on purpose. They are caused simply by putting things off that should have been done long ago. I’m sure there are men, women, boys and girls who plan to be saved someday, but who will die in their sins (unsaved and lost) and spend eternity without God in hell, because they put off the decision too long.
Why not decide to be saved right now while you can? The Bible warns us, “Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation.” Hebrews 2:3.
ML-11/07/1982