“ T he fool hath said in his heart,
There is no God.”
“Mrs. Jones, your blood pressure is very high. This condition used to be quite serious, but, fortunately, we now have drugs to correct it. Get this prescription filled and start taking it right away. I think you will improve before long.”
Leaving the doctor’s office with these instructions, the young housewife stopped at the drugstore on the way home. But, somehow, her condition did not get better. It got worse.
Soon she was back in the doctor’s office, followed by an agonizing round of examinations and treatment for malignant hypertension. The doctor prescribed hydralazine and other powerful drugs, both singly and in combination. This should have reduced the pressure and eased demands on the patient’s heart.
But nothing worked. Mrs. Jones’s blood pressure increased to 240/135. Her heart enlarged. And, after a few mystifying months, she died a painful death.
After the funeral her husband had the painful job of going through her belongings. He found, hidden away in a dresser drawer, an amazing collection of medicine bottles. Each bottle contained a carefully filled prescription, but not one of the bottles had ever been opened.
Mrs. Jones had a serious health problem. She went to the doctor, and he provided the treatment needed to save her life. Why she failed to take the lifesaving remedy we do not know. And now, whatever the reason was, it is too late to do anything about it.
Just as Mrs. Jones had a serious problem, requiring a specialist to help her, so do you and I and everyone else born into this world. The problem is sin. The consequences facing each one are the wages of sin—death. The only remedy is the gift of God which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sadly, Mrs. Jones did not take the remedy and died, for all the medicine in the world is useless unless it is taken. We can only wonder why. What about you? Are you just like her? You know you are a sinner. You know you face death. You know God loves you and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for you. You have the medicine in your hand, but you have not taken it by faith.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)). “And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life” (John 5:4040And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:40)). “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:22For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Hebrews 4:2)).