“It happened so suddenly,” the fisherman said sadly. He went on to tell me the story. He was one of five businessmen who had left the morning before on a fishing trip. All five of them were familiar with the dangers of small boats on large bodies of water. They had had a very good day of fishing and were returning about 10 o’clock that night with their catch. Rounding the point of land which hid the fishing lodge from view, they could see the lights of the cottages on shore.
Suddenly, without warning, a huge wave broke over the back of the boat, flooding out the motor! The boat turned broadside to the waves, and the next wave filled the boat, swamping it. All five men were thrown into the cold, choppy water.
All five of the men had life preservers on. One of them, apparently had a heart attack and died within minutes. The others clung to the overturned boat. They managed to tie the body of the dead man to the boat. Then, since the shore was only 300 yards away, they decided to swim for shore. Each of them was confident he could swim the distance quite easily. Two of them made it, but two did not! The cold and the waves made the “easy swim” a very difficult one. The two that reached the shore called and searched for their two friends—but with no success. Finally they stumbled through the dense woods to the lodge for help. They did not find their friends’ bodies until the next morning.
All of them had seen the lights of the cottages— “home,” but only two made it there. For the others—almost home was not enough!
There are many people who think that they are going to reach heaven, but they are still far away. They know about the Lord Jesus Christ, they know the way to be saved, they can repeat Bible verses, but they have never asked the Lord Jesus to wash away their sins and save them. What a tragedy when a person so close to accepting Jesus Christ as his Saviour dies and slips into eternity!
But you do not need to make this mistake. Take sides with God against yourself (repent), and believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for you. If you believe that His blood was shed for your sins and accept Him as your Saviour, then God says you are saved—from an eternity in hell, separated from God. Accept Him right now and be safe!
“Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17.
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.
ML-09/19/1982