The river steamer had to make many stops at little port towns as it traveled up the Amazon River. At these stops the steamer dropped off supplies and loaded up with Brazil nuts and rubber, along with some change of passengers. Travel was slow, and the passengers spent the hours leaning on the railings, watching the sights they passed and listening to the sounds of the jungle. Giant palm trees, passion flowers, rubber trees, brilliantly colored birds, and even monkeys whistling were seen along the way.
Following a loud scraping sound under the boat, it suddenly stopped with a jerk. The boat tilted, and some of the passengers were thrown off balance. The captain yelled for the crew to grab poles and help shove the boat off the sand bar before it became imbedded. It was too late. They were stuck right there until the tide in the giant Amazon River would come up high enough again so the river steamer could float off the sand bar where it was stuck.
Most of the passengers lived along the river, but two young men on this journey were from the big city of Rio de Janeiro. They were salesmen for a company that sold medicines such as aspirin to kill pain. The bright sun and heat made them think about cooling off in the river.
Finally one of them, Raul, asked his friend, “Arnaldo, how would you like to go for a swim so that we could get cooled off a bit?”
“Sounds good to me,” Arnaldo answered.
After they had changed into a pair of swimming shorts, they stood at the edge of the boat ready to dive off.
An old man named Tiago who lived along the river looked up at them and shook his head “no.”
“Boys,” Tiago warned, “I’d suggest you not do that. You never know what is in the waters of this river.”
Arnaldo looked up to question Tiago when another man, who was a judge, added, “For one thing, there are piranhas, man-eating fish, in some places. Also, there are stingrays with their poison and the painful cut of their barbed tails.” Another young man who worked cutting rubber warned of snakes in the water.
Have you ever been warned of the danger you are in if you have never asked the Lord Jesus to be your Saviour? In the Bible in James 2:1010For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10), we read, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Just one sin is enough to keep you or me out of heaven. Lies, bad thoughts, and stealing are sin and are more dangerous than even piranhas, snakes and stringrays. The problem is that boys and girls and men and women ignore the danger.
Raul just laughed and said to Arnaldo, “We can take a chance. Let’s dive together. Are you ready?”
Tiago warned them once again, “Seriously, fellows, I wouldn’t do it.”
As Arnaldo smiled, Raul insisted on going in the water, saying, “Just look at the water. We are so hot, and the water is so cool.”
Arnaldo added, “Don’t worry, Tiago, my friend. It’s not my destiny to die in these waters! Just a little dip.” He dove in with Raul close behind. The warnings of danger were being ignored.
Seldom do people plan to die. Instead, they make plans only for the future. James 4:1313Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: (James 4:13) and 14 tell us, “Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Arnaldo and Raul planned to continue their travels, selling their aspirin and other medicines. Neither of them planned to die.
Both dove in and were swimming away from the sand bar where the boat was stuck. Something on the bank that looked like a dead log suddenly rose up on four legs, then quickly sank into the water. The judge and the man who worked as a rubber cutter both saw it and shouted at the same time, “CROCODILE!”
Everyone on the boat heard the cry and ran over to see what was happening. They could see the heads of the two swimmers and occasionally the two eyes of the crocodile as he came to the surface to check where the young men were headed.
On the boat, the crew and the passengers all joined to warn the young men, shouting, “Crocodile! Turn back! Turn back!” Perhaps your dad, your mom, your brother, your sister, your Sunday school teacher, and your friends have all told you to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31). The Lord Jesus is coming back very soon to take to heaven all who have trusted Him to wash their sins away in His precious blood which He shed on Calvary’s cross. The Lord Jesus wants to be your Saviour, not your judge. Have you responded to the warnings?
Raul and Arnaldo didn’t understand the warnings at first; they just thought everyone was having fun and joking. Finally Raul heard the cry, “CROCODILE! CROCILE!” and shouted the warning over to Arnaldo, “CROCODILE! CROCODILE!” They quickly headed back for the boat, but the crocodile was a faster swimmer than they and soon got close to Arnaldo.
Tiago knew that crocodiles swim faster than they can turn, so he shouted to Arnaldo, “Dive, Arnaldo! Dive underneath him and come up on the other side!” Arnaldo was almost back to the boat and already very tired. His only hope to escape was to follow Tiago’s advice.
He dived. But he didn’t stay down long enough and came up too soon. The crocodile’s jaw snapped open where Arnaldo came to the surface. There was a slight movement in the water, and the crocodile and Arnaldo were not seen again.
Raul sat on the deck with his face in his hands. The men on the boat groaned and the ladies wept. It was too late for Arnaldo.
It is not too late for you if you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour right now. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2) Instead of the sadness as at the end of Arnaldo’s life, there will be joy even in heaven. Luke 15:1010Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:10), says, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
ML-09/06/1987