One day fifteen-year-old Dan was driving a team of mules down the main street of town. Suddenly a voice from the sidewalk shouted, “Whoa!”
The mules gladly came to an immediate stop, and Dan looked around quickly to see who had called. The man on the side of the street wore a broad grin, so Dan realized that he was just trying to make a joke of him. So he slapped the reins on the mules' backs and called, “Giddap! Giddap!”
But the mules were enjoying their rest and were not at all anxious to move! It took a good bit of encouraging before they finally decided to stir. Then came the voice from the sidewalk again, “Whoa!”
Immediately they stopped again! Dan's face grew red with impatience and embarrassment. This time the mules just wouldn't start again. The command from the sidewalk was much more to their liking for it was just what they wanted to do! When they finally decided to move the man shouted again, “Whoa!”
Quite a crowd had gathered by now to watch the fun, and when the man finally tired of his game and walked away, poor Dan hurried his wagon and team of mules out of sight as fast as he could coax the slow mules to move!
“Be ye not... as the mule,” the Bible tells us! Do you know any boys and girls who are stubborn like Dan's mules, and would rather have their own way than to listen to what their fathers and mothers tell them to do? I'm afraid I do!
Dan's mules listened to the wrong voice. Two voices are speaking to you today, I wonder which voice you will listen to!
One voice is that of the Lord Jesus. He asks you to accept Him as your Savior from sin, and promises to give you a gift if you do! The other voice tells you to just live on in your sin, pleasing only yourself and having your own way. Then he promises you wages! That is Satan's voice.
But listen, boys and girls. “The wages of sin is DEATH; but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord” (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)).