In the attic of a house, small sparks were jumping from two electrical wires that were connected wrong. Spark, spark, spark . . . they jumped many times. They were tiny sparks and were hidden out of sight, but even tiny sparks can start a fire.
Jimmy McLear came home after school. He had just turned 13 and was finishing up the seventh grade. Because he was 13, his parents now trusted him to be at home by himself with no one to look after him. This was a bigger deal for Jimmy than it was for most 13-year-olds, because he was legally deaf. His hearing was so poor that without his hearing aids he couldn’t hear loud noises, even when they were made right next to him.
Jimmy opened the front door and was greeted by Ace, the family pet, a pit bull terrier with short brown hair. Ace was so happy to have Jimmy home that he whipped his tail back and forth, like a windshield wiper at high speed. Jimmy gave the dog a scratch on the head to say “Hi, Ace.” Then he went into the kitchen and made a sandwich for an after-school snack.
After eating his snack, he went to his bedroom and flopped down on the bed. He was tired and wanted a nap. He tried to get comfortable with his head on the pillow, but then he remembered he still had his hearing aids in both ears. He took them out and placed them carefully on the nightstand, then quickly fell sound asleep.
While he was sleeping, the sparks in the attic caught fire. The fire grew and spread into the garage and then into the kitchen and living areas of the house. Smoke filled the living room and then set off the fire alarm at the center of the house. The fire alarm was also equipped with flashing lights for Jimmy’s benefit, but being sound asleep, he neither saw the lights nor heard the alarm. Every minute the fire grew larger and came closer to the bedroom where Jimmy slept, unaware that his life was in great danger.
There are other dangers in life that we aren’t always aware of. The most serious is the danger of your sins. The Bible says, “The soul that [sins], it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:44Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4)). Yes, because we are all sinners, we will all leave this earth at some point. The danger is that if any of us leave this earth with our sins unforgiven, we will spend eternity in “outer darkness [where] there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:3030And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:30)). But this doesn’t have to be your future, because there is a faithful, loving Saviour who died for you and will forgive all your sins, if you let Him.
Because of a faithful, loving dog, there was hope for Jimmy in his burning house.
Ace grew agitated with the alarm, the heat, and the smoke. He paced nervously back and forth, whining louder all the time. At last he jumped up onto the bed where Jimmy was sleeping. Jumping on furniture was strictly forbidden, but Ace did it anyway. Jimmy still didn’t wake up. The dog shimmied up to Jimmy’s face and with his long tongue licked the boy’s face. This woke Jimmy out of his sleep.
“Huh, huh, what’s going on?” he said as he opened his eyes and saw Ace inches away from his face. Then he felt the heat and saw the smoke and realized the house was on fire.
At school he had learned two steps to take if you were ever caught in a fire. The first step was to find a piece of cloth and cover your mouth and nose so you wouldn’t breathe in so much heat and smoke. This Jimmy quickly did, tying a shirt around his face. The second and most important step was to stay as close to the floor as possible and get away from the fire as fast as possible. Crawling with Ace by his side, he made his way through the smoke- filled hallway and living room and went out the front door. When he got out into the fresh air, he took a deep breath. Only seconds later a fire truck with sirens blaring raced up to the front of the house. The firemen checked to see if Jimmy was ok and if anyone else was in the house. Then they quickly got to work, putting out the flames with their hoses. The house was completely destroyed by the fire, but Jimmy had been saved by his dog Ace.
Later, a news reporter interviewed the fire chief who said, “The boy most likely owes his life to his dog. When the alarm and flashing lights didn’t waken him, the dog licking his face did. He probably would have died or been badly burned if it had not been for the dog.”
Without Ace, Jimmy might not have awakened in time to escape the fire. It was by the dog’s help that he saw his need. Have you awakened to your need of a Saviour because of your sins? This Saviour who loves you and died for you is Christ Jesus. The Bible tells us 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)). Sin might seem like a small matter, but how great a fire a little spark may start. Jesus, the Son of God, who had never sinned, gave His life at Calvary for our sakes. On the cross He paid the awful price of our sins. Because He suffered, bled and died, sinners who deserve death and judgment can instead have forgiveness and eternal life. This promise is given in John 3:1515That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15): “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Jimmy followed the two steps he had learned at school in case he was caught in a fire. Will you follow the two steps to have Jesus forgive your sins? Believe that you are a sinner and accept Jesus as your very own Saviour.
ML-11/23/2014