“Can I walk the beach with Tom?” fourteen-year-old Kyle asked his mom.
His family was camping in a park near La Push, Washington, on the Pacific Coast. Tom had met Kyle, who was about his own age, at the campground.
“Yes, Tom,” his mom answered, “but be careful not to go too deep in the water . . . and be back before dinner,” she added.
The boys walked through the trees lining the campground, climbed over large piles of driftwood, and then strolled out onto the beach. The yellow-brown sand of the beach stretched out in either direction as far as they could see. It was early in the camping season, and there were only a few people out enjoying the rugged beauty of the rocky outcroppings.
To their great interest, the boys discovered the tide was out, and they could hardly wait to explore the exposed beach. They also saw that the tide had gone out far enough that they could now walk to James Island.
James Island is a large rock formation, about three hundred yards from shore when the tide is in. Most of the sides of the island are rocky cliffs that rise straight up out of the water to heights of fifty or sixty feet. The top of the island is covered with evergreen trees. Eagles roost in the tops of the trees where they can spot fish far below swimming near the surface of the ocean and swoop down to catch them in their talons. Large black birds with long necks called cormorants live on the island too. They dive under the water and swim like black streaks of lightning, hunting for fish. Otters often can be seen playing in the nearby kelp beds. But the conditions are too harsh on the island for people to live there.
When Tom and Kyle walked out to the island, they found a path that wound up one side. The path was so steep that at times they had to climb up on hands and knees. By the time they reached the top they were panting for breath. Everywhere they looked on the island, they found something new to capture their attention. Exploring the island was so interesting they lost track of time.
After a while their stomachs told them it was dinnertime. They started to climb down the same steep path they had climbed up earlier, but before they reached the bottom they realized their mistake — the tide had turned. The land between the island and the mainland where they had walked a few hours earlier was now covered with water and crashing waves. The water was so bitterly cold that the boys didn’t give a thought to swimming back.
Tom and Kyle were completely cut off from shore. They realized there was no way to get back before dinner or even nightfall. They were trapped on the island without drinking water, food, shelter or a way to make a fire. The thought of spending a cold night alone on the island was very gloomy!
The boys were separated from shore, and, sadly, sin has separated each one of us from God too. It has opened up a breach between the Creator and man His creature. God had designed man’s heart capable of understanding, obeying and loving Him. But instead of loving Him, each one of us has chosen to go our own way. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)). We have not loved God with all our hearts; instead, we have loved other things as if they were more important. Darkness has crept into our hearts, and because of that darkness we have turned to hatred and lying and many other sins, all of which God hates. And so we are sinners: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). There is nothing sinners can do, apart from Christ, to cross the fearful divide that separates us from God who is light and love.
Many people, in the pride of their hearts, wrongly think that God is willing to pass over their sins as if He didn’t care about them. This is not the case — sin is a terrible thing in the sight of God, and He will hold each person accountable for his or her sins: “Every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:1212So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)).
Sinners who never come to Christ will have a steep price to pay. “The wages of sin is death.” When unsaved sinners pass out of this world, they will be cast into hell where they will never again experience God’s goodness. In this life they shunned God and did not accept Jesus as Saviour. After death God will never again show them His mercy or lovingkindness. The light of His love will be withdrawn from them completely, and they will spend eternity in the total darkness of hell. This is why it is so important for people to hear the gospel message, realize their lost condition, and come to the Lord Jesus for salvation. Only by faith in the Saviour can the awful problem of sin be dealt with to God’s satisfaction. When a person believes in Christ, his sins are washed away in Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross, and that soul is fit for heaven. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John 1:7)).
When the boys didn’t return to the campsite at dinnertime, Kyle’s mom grew worried and called the Coast Guard. She told them she had a hunch the boys had walked to James Island when the tide was out and were now trapped. The Coast Guard station was nearby, and they immediately sent out two boats to look for the boys. The waves were high and treacherous, so the Coast Guard men had to use expert seamanship so the boats were not swamped by waves or smashed up against the rocky sides of the island. But at last the boys were recovered and eventually reunited with their families. They didn’t have to spend a night alone on the island after all.
Christ Jesus has done everything necessary so that you and I might be saved from our sins and reunited to God. No one needs to perish in his or her sins. On the cross, He paid sin’s awful penalty and made a way that God’s love can lay hold of a person and never let them go. Because of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, sinners who repent and turn to Christ will never be separated from His love again. Won’t you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and end the awful separation caused by your sins?
ML-10/21/2007