Some time ago, a tragic event occurred a few miles from our home. We live in a small town, and all the students at school know each other quite well. It’s considered a safe town, and anyone can walk almost anywhere they need to go.
Bart was a typical teenager, and like most young people these days, he enjoyed listening to music. He owned a portable CD player and could usually be found “plugged-in” to the latest album put out by a popular artist. As he walked around town, Bart brought his music with him and spent his time listening to it and not paying much attention to what was going on around him.
Bart’s favorite time to listen to music was on his way home from school, which took him along a safe route through his neighborhood. It never occurred to him that paying more attention to his music than his surroundings could one day cost him his life.
One day Bart decided to take a new way home from school along a set of railroad tracks. It would definitely be a shortcut. As usual, he put on his headphones with a CD he had just bought. It was by his favorite artist, and he turned up the volume as loud as it would go so that he could enjoy every minute of the songs. He walked along the tracks, carefree and clueless about his surroundings.
Reaching the point where he could see his house, he waved to his mother and slowly walked toward her on the tracks. But all the while, he was unaware of a train speeding up behind him, trying hard to get Bart’s attention with loud blasts from the train whistle. Bart’s music, however, was as loud as the train, and he could not hear the shriek of the train as the engineer tried hard to stop it.
Sadly, the train could not stop in time, and Bart was killed instantly. He never knew what hit him.
The outcome of this story is very sad, but many people, including school students, don’t realize that it is happening in their lives every day. They are walking down the tracks of their lives “plugged-in” to this world and not aware of a speeding train called “death” that could be as close as around the next corner. They are given warnings from the gospel message, but they are too involved to pay attention to them.
God’s Word tells us, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). We have all sinned in our lives, and often when it is least expected, death hits us. There is no time then to change our foolish decisions not to accept Christ as our Saviour. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)).
Is the music of this world drowning out the warnings of death in your life? God is warning you that judgment is coming. Are you listening?
ML-06/09/2013