Echoes of Grace: 2010

Feeding time! Bruno and Brutus waited impatiently for the familiar sound of dishes being filled and food brought out to them. Not yet a year old, the two Rottweilers roused up eagerly at a sound inside the house. No — not yet. They sank back to the ground, their eyes fixed on the door.

Finally the door slowly opened and their owner stepped out, carrying their food. At last! Quivering with excitement, they leaped up to greet their familiar friend.

But what was this?

There was someone else, a stranger. A stranger in their yard — their territory. Their owner’s 13-year-old granddaughter, Melissa, ran out “to help Grandma” feed the dogs.

“Go back! Go back! You aren’t supposed to be out here!” the grandmother cried.

It was too late. As Melissa turned to run back into the house, the two dogs threw themselves upon her and pulled her to the ground, biting and clawing.

The terrified grandmother tried to pull the dogs away, but she was no match for two 90-pound dogs. Inside the house, 11-year-old T.J., Melissa’s younger brother, heard them and ran out. Seeing the two attacking his sister, he knew he had to help.

“I knew if I didn’t do something, she would have gotten really hurt,” he said. “I tackled one and kept kicking the other” — and the dogs turned their attention to him.

“They started biting me and pushed me against the fence,” he said, but he wasn’t thinking of what might happen to him. He said, “I was just scared for her.”

T.J. escaped when his shirt was ripped off and the dogs were momentarily diverted, giving him a chance to get away.

Melissa and her grandmother suffered bites and scratches, but T.J. had deep puncture wounds and slashes that had to be stitched up and would take months to heal. Faced with a whole summer “stuck” in the house, unable to swim or to ride his bike, he only said, “I’m glad that I got what I got and she didn’t.”

There is someone who has suffered far, far more to save others than T.J. did for Melissa. When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, suffering and dying for sins He did not commit, the people standing and watching mocked Him and said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. . . . Let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him” (Matthew 27:42).

Did Christ have the power to come down from the cross?

Of course He did.

But would He come down, stop the torture and go back to His Father in heaven — alone? Never! Never!

He came into the world to save sinners, and nothing could change His purpose. He came to offer salvation to everyone who would receive it and, as John the Apostle wrote, “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

As T.J. knew that his sister would be hurt — perhaps killed — unless he helped, so the Lord Jesus knew there was no help for us, lost and sinful as we were, unless He, the sinless One, came and gave His life on the cross for us.

T.J. could say that he was “glad” that he suffered for Melissa. The Bible says of the Lord Jesus, after He “was wounded for our transgressions . . . bruised for our iniquities. . . . He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:5,11).

Are you one who has been justified, whose sins have been pardoned, and who has received the Lord Jesus Christ and become a child of God by believing and receiving Him? You can be — the offer of salvation is still open, but we cannot say for how long. The Bible says only that NOW is the day of salvation; it never says “tomorrow.”

The Big Question

“What is there after this life?” That is truly the biggest question. How strange that we should try so hard to push it out of our minds — to concentrate on today, tomorrow, even something in the dim and distant future — all transient things and experiences ahead of us. But the future we can be sure and certain of we ignore and avoid and postpone until “tomorrow.”

We feel we have today, at least, so that important question can wait until tomorrow. But are you sure of tomorrow? Or even of today?

A United Nations representative was working at his desk on the third floor of a hotel in Haiti. Everything seemed calm and “everyday,” nothing out of the ordinary, when he felt a “little tremor.” Four seconds later (only four seconds!) an earthquake hit. “In a split second” he ducked under his desk.

Around him there was only chaos as walls and ceilings and upper stories of the building crashed around him. Under the desk he was safe but trapped: trapped for five long days and nights.

What were his thoughts as he lay almost helpless in the huge pile of debris? He thought of loved ones, thought of things he would like to do — if he survived. As hope began to fade: “Would he soon go into a coma and die?” Finally he was face to face with the question: WHAT IS THERE AFTER THIS LIFE?

He did not know!

At last he began to hear human voices and knew that they were struggling to reach and free him. Although thousands around him were dead, he had been given a rare chance to live and to find the answer to that great question.

God Himself has given the answer: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). What comes after the judgment?

“Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).

But what of those who are not looking forward to His second coming — those who did not receive or believe Him? “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

The British Sportsman

The 16,000-ton tanker, British Sportsman, was berthed at an oil dock in Antwerp, Belgium. The ship had just unloaded three million gallons of crude oil from Kuwait, on the Persian Gulf. To make the vessel easier to handle on the high seas, the empty oil tanks were being filled with water for ballast.

It was miserable weather in late fall. The air was beginning to turn cold, and leaden clouds dropped their loads of moisture with annoying regularity as they passed. It was a welcome sight to see the sun come out occasionally.

After supper one evening, some of the crew who were staying aboard made themselves comfortable in their cabins. The others prepared to go ashore. Suddenly a storm struck. Starting quietly enough with a patter of rain and a few gusts of wind, the rain got heavier and the wind blew stronger. Doors aboard ship slammed shut as the wind whistled through the passageways. Almost immediately a howling gale was blowing.

Suddenly and without warning the ship gave a lurch. There was a sound of grinding metal. People on the dock and some aboard ship shouted warnings. One of the deckhands ran through the ship crying out, “ALL HANDS ON DECK!”

Everyone from the captain down came running. The ship had broken her mooring lines and was drifting helplessly before the gale. Four large cables and numerous broken lines dangled uselessly down the side of the ship. Because her engines were being overhauled, she had no power of her own and she soon was blown a quarter of a mile off her berth.

The captain ordered the anchors to be let down at once. When the winches stopped their whirring, they knew the anchors had struck bottom. Would the anchors hold? The ship stopped drifting — the anchors held! She was safe from following her aimless, drifting course.

Like this ship, we have no power within ourselves to save ourselves. Nothing in us can prevent us from going to a lost eternity. Before the British Sportsman could be safe and secure, the anchors had to be let down into the water. They were useless while lying on the ship’s deck; only when they were dropped overboard outside the ship and were safely held on the bottom were they of any use in saving the ship.

This is like the need of every sinful soul. Not by our own doings can we be saved, but rather our trust must be placed outside of ourselves — in Christ. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Choose Well

On my drive to work every morning, I pass a billboard advertising the fact that doctors in a local hospital have performed over a thousand open heart surgeries. Living three hours away from a major city with all the benefits of modern health care makes this important news for our small town. At the bottom of the billboard are the words, “Choose well.” Never was better advice ever given in two words than “Choose well.”

Choose well ... it is important to do when it comes to physical care of the heart, but even more important when it comes to the spiritual side of things. When it comes to spiritual care of the heart, I am sure you want only the best care, which means you had better choose well and choose the Lord Jesus Christ. On every level you need to trust Him for the care of your heart.

The Lord Jesus Christ alone has the cure for the universal heart condition that afflicts mankind. Nearly two thousand years ago the eternal God in the person of the Lord Jesus became a man. For thirty years He lived in obscurity. He never had wealth. He never studied at a university. He worked with His hands as a carpenter. Then for three and a half years, He was occupied with His public ministry, a ministry which would shake the world. He healed the sick, made the lame to walk, gave sight to the blind, and even raised the dead. He had plenty of enemies who never tried to deny the miracles He did. If there had been any chance of being refuted, they certainly would have tried in order to discredit Him. With words of incredible power He preached the gospel. The poor heard Him gladly. His teachings, even to this day, are recognized as the greatest moral teachings ever to exist. But the main reason for His coming to earth never changed or altered. His main purpose was to come to earth to die for His creature’s sin. “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” This is the cure, pure and simple; when a sinner believes in Christ, the sins he has committed are put away, and he is made fit for heaven. Do you want your sins put away? Then choose well, and choose Christ, for it is only in Him that you may find redemption. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Sin is a very constricting heart disease, which ever shrinks the muscles of the heart. If left unattended, it will shut out all the influence of God’s grace and make man the center of his own universe, and that is a very small and shriveling universe indeed. Eventually it leads to death and perpetual alienation from God’s goodness in a place called hell.

The Lord Jesus alone is the great physician, and He has truthfully revealed the serious heart condition of the human race, and then He delivered a powerful remedy. It is up to us to choose well and believe on Him and take advantage of the remedy. “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:38-39).

Won’t you choose well and choose the Lord Jesus, the Great Physician, to deal with your heart condition of sin? I want my heart in no other hands, and I am sure, if you consider the matter carefully, you will want your heart in no other hands as well. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Daisy

Daisy the dog was, to be honest, a “mutt.” She had no name and no pedigree. Even her name didn’t really belong to her; it was just what the children called her as she roamed about the trailer park where she scavenged for food. Worst of all, Daisy had no license. When the men from the animal control office discovered her, they immediately decided to haul her off to the pound. Poor Daisy! Her short life had been a miserable one, but even that was to be ended. Five days to the gas chamber seemed to be her fate.

But Sherrie, who lived at the park, told the officers from animal control that she would take care of Daisy and find her a home. The men didn’t thank Sherrie for her kindness; they charged her with having an unrestrained pet and gave her a ticket to appear in court.

Not understanding the legal terms on the paper, Sherrie thought it was “just a warning” and forgot about it. What a mistake! A court order is a court order, and instead of officers coming to the park for Daisy, police officers came for Sherrie!

Taken to jail for failing to appear in court, Sherrie spent that night and all the next day in prison. At last a friend paid to bail her out, and Sherrie was free.

And Daisy was still roaming the trailer park and looking for food. Once again the officers had orders to “bring that dog in” and impound it. This time Sherrie would not be able to help.

Sherrie couldn’t, but someone else could and would. Sally drove sixty miles to the trailer park, one day ahead of the officers, and loaded Daisy into her big SUV. Daisy, bony, flea-bitten Daisy, was whisked away to a new life: to a bath and a flea dip, to veterinary care and good food, to a warm bed and a loving owner, to a license and a right to live. Happy, happy Daisy! What a change for her!

And what a change for us, when we receive the Lord Jesus as our Saviour and are rescued by Him from the destruction that is as certain for us as it seemed to be for Daisy.

For a dog, Sherrie went to prison, a friend paid the fine, and Sally came all the way to get her and take her to safety. But for us poor, lost human beings straying around in the world He made, the Lord Jesus came where we were — and far beyond. He went into death and the grave; He paid the entire penalty, and He wants to take us to live with Him in the Father’s house — heaven.

If we were only like Daisy, He could just take us there, but we were created with minds — and wills — of our own. We can say “NO” to God. We can choose the way that leads to hell. We can refuse God’s great salvation. It is hard to understand why!

God’s offer of salvation is free. There are “no strings attached.” All the price has been paid, all the work has been done, and the promise is sure: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” The reverse is equally true: “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

A Dangerous Refuge

When we think of a refuge, we connect it with a place of safety and shelter. In some cases, animals and birds often find protection in wildlife refuges, while in other cases innocent people flee from evil men as is well-known in Africa. And it is a common thing for people to seek refuge from storms, forest fires, floods and hail.

During the summer of 2009 a man named Bill was seeking a different kind of refuge in the town of Ridgefield, Washington. In fact, he was very intent on finding a hiding place because the police wanted him for selling illegal things. One day he was trapped in a neighborhood where houses were being searched by the police, and he felt it best to stay outside —but where could he hide? Outside of one house, he found a large plastic recycle bin, which to him was quite suitable, and he quickly climbed inside and closed the lid.

Now he must have felt a measure of protection from being taken by the police. But at the same time, he could not escape the unpleasant thoughts that go along with a bad conscience. He knew he had done wrong, but he valued his freedom and would not turn himself in to the authorities. Sin has very real consequences, and the Word of God tells us that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Like Bill, we have all offended God, and we all must give an account of ourselves to God.

As it turned out, it would have been much better for Bill to have confessed his sin to the police than to have chosen the refuge he chose. The Bible tells us that “he that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Sadly, Bill had climbed into the recycle bin on a day when the afternoon temperature reached over 105 degrees. Yes, his refuge was successful in hiding him from the police, but the next day a neighbor found him dead inside that recycle bin. His poor body could not take the heat with the lid closed. His refuge proved to be a fatal mistake.

God has declared in the Bible that “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Bill thought he was safe that afternoon, but God lovingly warns us that “there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

It is far better for each one of us to discover that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). God has proven to be a God of love and has provided all that is necessary for the eternal happiness and blessing of those who turn to the Lord.

Men and women have sinned against God for thousands of years, and it is our sins that bring down the wrath of God. But the good news is that, though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon for all who repent of their sins and believe the record God gave concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. What does it mean to “repent of our sins”? It means literally “to think again” or to think God’s thoughts about how we have sinned. But the good news found in the Word of God is that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Right where you are, while reading this message, you can have the forgiveness of sins and peace with God. The Lord Jesus Christ, who shed His life’s blood on the cross of Calvary, now invites you to believe that He bore your sins in His own body on that cross. He is offering you a full and free pardon. Have you found Him to be your hiding place and the refuge for your soul? He is a refuge that will never, ever fail!

The Design That Failed

Many years ago when passenger jets were being designed, it was thought that using square or rectangular-shaped windows would look more attractive. This was incorporated in the de Havilland Comet, the first commercial passenger jet plane. It wasn’t long before these planes began crashing mysteriously. Many innocent passengers lost their lives. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the cause of the wrecks was structural weakness at the corners of these square windows. With enough hours in the air, the fatigue of the metal brought these planes down with no hope of a safe landing.

What seemed so innocent a design brought grief and sadness to many, yet sadder still are the consequences of our sins before the face of a holy God. He loves us personally and has been grieved by the sins we have committed. Men and women are going through life ignorant of what their sins deserve in God’s sight. It reminds us of the verse in the Bible that says, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

People are also ignorant of the fact that God tells us, “Your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Yet God loves you with a very deep love, and He delights to show mercy. To prove this, He tells us in His Word, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). God does not want us to be in the dark as to our condition before Him as lost sinners, but that we might be brought to “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).

God requires that which is past, and whether we like it or not, “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). How much better for us if we would be wise and come to Christ, confessing our sins and believing that He died on Calvary’s cross to put away our guilt and the judgment we deserved. Why not do this right now?

The Faithful Word

If all the shalls in Scripture meant perhaps
And all the haves meant simply hope to have,
And all the ares depended on an if, I well might doubt;
But since our Saviour God means what He says and cannot lie,
I trust His faithful Word and know that I
Shall surely dwell throughout eternity
With Him whose love led Him to die for me:
With Christ Himself!

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36).

The Fire Extinguisher

Curve after curve, the road wound up the mountain, on and on, up and up. And every bend only revealed a further ascent. Motors labored, overheated, stopped to cool off. At last, the top. At the top stood a motor home. What a long, hard pull it must have had to get there!

But something was wrong. From the motor issued a wisp of smoke. Another! Then another! Did this signal something worse going on inside?

Another car with a vacationing family reached the top. An experienced driver was at the wheel. He took one look as he passed the motor home, and pulling quickly past it, he stopped. Grabbing the fire extinguisher from his own car, he ran back to the motor home.

The smoke was thicker now, and there was beginning to be an ominous flickering in the engine compartment. Quickly the driver tried to activate his extinguisher. He did his best, but nothing happened. The extinguisher was empty; it had not been charged.

Helplessly, hopelessly, there was nothing to be done but to watch that beautiful motor home burn. And burn it did. Totally.

A fully charged fire extinguisher in the right place and in time could have stopped that disastrous fire. But once on top of the mountain, they were five miles from help, five miles from even a telephone where they could call for help. Long before help could come, the fire had consumed everything combustible.

This reminds us of a story told many, many years ago. Ten girls set out to go to a wedding. There was little street lighting in those days, and each girl carried a little lamp as we might take a flashlight. Five girls were wise and took oil with their lamps. Five were foolish and did not make sure that they had enough.

Soon five little lamps began to flicker and go out, and the five “foolish” turned to the five “wise” to beg for oil. But the wise had only enough for their own lamps; they had none to spare. Five foolish girls had to hurry away to buy oil for themselves, and while they were going the wedding began — “and the door was shut.”

It was too late when the emergency arose to have the fire extinguisher recharged. It was too late to buy oil after the wedding began. And it will be too late to seek the Lord Jesus when He comes for His people, for all who are His, and takes them back with Him to His home in heaven.

There will be no time then to cry, “What must I do to be saved?” No time to say, “Lord, Lord, open to us!” It will be forever too late.

The fire extinguisher could have been charged, but it was neglected. The girls could have kept their lamps burning, but they neglected to carry oil. That was all. And how sad it will be if someday you have to say, “I could have been saved, but I neglected to come to Christ.”

“How shall we escape, if we NEGLECT so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

Soon it will be too late. Don’t neglect!

For Me?

For Me? I have read of the Saviour’s love,
And a wonderful love it must be;
But did He come down from heaven above
Out of love and compassion for me?

I’ve heard how He suffered and bled,
Of His anguish and death on the tree;
But then is it anywhere said
That He suffered and died there for me?

I’ve been told of a heaven on high,
Which the children of God will soon see;
But is there a place in the sky
Made ready and furnished for me?

Oh, yes! For His love is as wide
And as deep as the fathomless sea;
And love such as this will provide
All blessings eternal for me!

(Galatians 2:20)

The Forecast

The weather forecasters were puzzled. The computers must be wrong. The computerized model of the National Weather Service showed a huge storm coming to the eastern United States — “a storm of relatively unprecedented proportions” — as the Service’s director described it.

How could that be? Such a storm? A week before spring would officially begin? The weathermen shook their heads and concluded that the computers were wrong; someone had fed the wrong figures in or had not used the right equations.

There was no mistake. The computers were right, and by the week’s end the whole eastern seaboard was swept by a “once in a lifetime” storm. Homes and buildings were destroyed, travel was disrupted, and lives were lost from the Tortugas to the Maritimes. Truly, it was a storm of “unprecedented proportions.”

Another storm has been forecast, and it is a perfectly reliable forecast. The storm of God’s judgment on this whole world is not far in the future. We can see the storm winds rising already. The Bible has accurately described the signs of the last days.

One definite sign is that “perilous times shall come.” At one count there were forty-two different parts of the world torn by civil strife, if not outright warfare, where the whole population lives in daily peril. Even in this land, terrorist actions and a rising tide of crime leave few people confident of safety. As one man said, “The only safe place in a tornado is somewhere else!”

Exactly! And that is God’s plan for every born-again child of His. Before the full fury of that worldwide storm strikes, the Lord Jesus is going to “descend from heaven with a shout . . . and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

It could be today!

The Good Samaritan

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”

This is the history of man from Adam to the present day — going down from the city of God (Jerusalem) to the city of the curse (Jericho) — going down in the ways of sin and sinful pleasures — thieves and robbers of what he once possessed. It takes in you and me — all of us who have departed from the ways of innocence into the ways of sin.

“By chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”

The priest, appointed by Moses’ law, should have had compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way. Had the priest forgotten this? He seems cold and indifferent. Ah, but this is a case beyond his ability to help. The man needs life and healing. It is a desperate case, and the priest passes by on the other side.

“Likewise a Levite” — appointed as Levites were to teach the law to the people — “when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.”

It was not teaching that the dying man needed, but life and healing, which the Levite as well as the priest were incompetent to give. So neither performs the neighborly act. In fact, they were both on the same road as the man lying there stripped and wounded by the thieves.

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:30-34).

Here is the wonderful gospel of God for every confessed sinner. We joyfully recognize this Good Samaritan — Jesus — who came down from heaven “to seek and to save that which was lost.” He had compassion; He did not pass by the needy — the dying — but came where he was. He bound up his wounds in His grace; He comforted and strengthened him with oil and wine. Dear Samaritan! Never did His enemies speak a truer word than when they mockingly said, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”

The wounded man, having received “first aid,” was not left to shift alone as best he could. No, the Samaritan “brought him to an inn, and took care of him.” Even so does Jesus today care for those who turn to Him in their helplessness, for “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him” (Hebrews 7:25).

Thousands have fled to His spear-pierced side;

Welcome they all have been — none are denied;

Weary and laden, they all have been blest;

Joyfully now in the Saviour they rest;

Oh, what a Saviour is Jesus the Lord!

Well might His name by His saints be adored!

Gratitude and a Humpback Whale

There is no more awe-inspiring sight on the ocean than a humpback whale breaching. The blue surface of the water seems to explode as the giant mammal, as long as a school bus and weighing forty tons, comes hurtling out of the depths. Water in torrents comes cascading off its body. For a long second, you might see the long creases of folded skin running the length of their underbellies, patches of brown, crusty barnacles, and flippers as tall as most homes. They have so much power in their flukes or tail fins that these whales can propel their entire bodies out of the water. Then gravity pulls the whale back into the water, making a mini-tsunami-like splash, before disappearing into the depths.

A humpback whale swimming near the Farallon Islands was no longer able to breach. The Farallon Islands are a series of rocky outcroppings twenty-eight miles directly west of San Francisco. While making its annual migration up the coast of North America, the humpback had become entangled in ropes attached to several crab pots. The ropes were blue and made out of nylon and exceedingly strong. Apparently, the whale rolled in the lines because of the number of ways they wrapped around her body.

Naturalists working on the Farallon Islands spotted the whale. Through binoculars they saw the humpback was entangled in the lines. They realized that in her present condition the whale would not be able to feed herself, nor would she be able to defend herself if attacked by great white sharks which roam the area.

They made a telephone call to a local dive shop. The manager said he would be willing to help. He quickly put together a crew of experienced divers and set off for the islands by boat. When they neared the islands, they saw what looked like a dining room table floating at the surface of the water. Periodically it would shoot up a shower of heavy mist and they realized it was the whale breathing through its blowholes. Five of the divers transferred to a smaller zodiac boat to approach the whale. They thought the smaller boat would have less chance of spooking the leviathan.

Up close, they saw the tangled mess of lines wrapped around the whale, and they thought the situation was nearly hopeless. Apparently, the whale had rolled in the lines several times in an attempt to free herself. With the weight of the lines and crab pots constantly dragging her down, the whale looked barely alive. The lines had cut into her flesh and chunks of blubber floated in the water. Still the divers were determined to attempt the rescue. One by one, they quietly slipped into the water. They wore black wet suits, masks, snorkels, flippers and knives strapped to their ankles. Warily they swam towards the whale, realizing that if they made a wrong move, the whale could crush them to death with its fins.

The divers were in the water over an hour sawing at the ropes. During this time, the whale held amazingly still for them, as if she understood that these men were her only hope. One man even reached into the whale’s mouth to free her from a rope which had been caught in the baleen. When the last rope was cut, the whale sensed she was free and swam towards the murky ocean depths. Just before she disappeared out of sight, the whale turned around and swam back towards the men. For a frightening moment, one of the divers thought the whale was coming back to harm him, but at the last possible second the whale paused, brushed up gently against his body, and then looked at him with her eye a few feet away. She did this to each of the five divers. The divers interpreted this action of the whale as her way of saying thank you. Afterwards, when the divers related this experience to whale experts, they were told to be careful attributing human qualities such as gratitude to animals. However, even after talking to experts, the divers still insist the whale was showing them gratitude. Freed at last, she swam into the distance.

Perhaps you have an opinion on whether a whale can feel gratitude in the same manner as humans. Do you side with the divers who thought the whale was saying thank you? Or do you side with the whale experts who warned the divers not to give them human traits? Perhaps there is not a definitive answer.

However, there is something about gratitude that is undeniably true. Human beings are made in such a way that they should feel gratitude and express it, not only towards other human beings for favors received, but also towards their Creator.

We live in an amazingly beautiful world where incredible creatures such as whales exist. For the most part, we have all the clothing, food and air necessary to live. Most of us have families and communities which are precious to us. Even our very being is given to us by God. All these good things are provided to us by the all-beneficent, all-powerful, supreme-being God, and we ought to thank Him profusely. He is the fountain of all goodness, and every good thing we enjoy in this life comes as a gift from Him.

One gift from above is greater than all the others. This is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Nearly two thousand years ago, the One who made the world became a man. As a man He went all the way to Calvary’s cross where He died for His creatures. He did this so that sinners might have a way to be forgiven and have the stain of sin washed away from their souls.

Sin. What a heavy weight to drag around through life! The guilt is heavy! The shame is more than people can bear! The weight of it, if never dealt with, will pull souls down to a lost eternity. If the divers hadn’t rescued the humpback whale, the animal would have eventually perished. Men and women are hopelessly entangled in the cords of sin and are in danger of perishing too. “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5:22).

Only one Person in the history of the universe can set the sinner free, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Even if the situation for different souls looks hopeless, He can loose the sinner from the cords of iniquity which bind them tightly and set them free. When a sinner repents and believes in Christ, he receives the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Only a heart full of horrible ingratitude can say “no” to the Lord Jesus when He has done so much on our behalf. As human beings, we are not to live on the level of beasts. We were designed to interact with God, and one of the ways we interact with God is to express gratitude for His blessings. Won’t you believe in the wonderful name of Jesus, and then thank God for the gift of eternal life?

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

A Greater Than Lincoln

When Abraham Lincoln was a young man, he tended a store in southern Illinois. One day a farmer’s wife purchased eight ounces of tea. Young Abe weighed out the ounces of tea on a balance scale. He counted out the ounce weights and dropped them on one side of the scale and then dropped tea onto the other side until the beam looked perfectly horizontal. After the lady had left, Abe was putting away the little weights and discovered he had shortchanged the customer by only giving her six ounces of tea. The next day when the lady came in to town, he sought her out and gave her the missing two ounces of tea.

Abe Lincoln had a high regard for justice. Justice is the virtue of seeing that others are treated fairly and that they get what is due them. Abe Lincoln would later be elected to the highest office of the land and work for justice on a grander scale.

On a far grander scale than any human, God is concerned with justice. God is supremely interested in seeing that all men get their proper due. He has a lot to say on the subject of justice in the Bible. A verse in Ecclesiastes reads, “There is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” That is, if God were to weigh each individual’s life in a balance scale and measure them against His perfect justice, the beam of the scale would never level out. The scale would always tip drastically to one side, showing that we have come short of living the right way.

“Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” were the words written to describe an ancient king. These words aptly describe the rest of us too. Each member of the human race has been found “wanting” in regards to sin and righteousness. Even those who have been well-respected like Abraham Lincoln have come up short. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

“Against Thee [God] ... only have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight,” David wrote in Psalm 51:4. This verse shows us that, in the final analysis, all sin is against God. “In Him we live and move and have our being ... for we also are His offspring.” Every sin a man commits is an act of dark ingratitude and impertinence against the God who made him and who holds his very breath in His hands.

The truth that all sin is against God gives sin its awful gravity. It is an offense against His greatness and majesty. Therefore, the price tag of sin must be equally great too. The wages of sin will be everlasting punishment in a place called hell.

If you know something of the hatefulness and hurt of sin, don’t despair. The good news of the gospel declares what God has done in the day of grace, so men may not have to face Him in the day of judgment. The gospel reveals what God has done so that lost souls might be saved.

“The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). God came to this earth in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He took upon Himself the nature of a man. As a man He died on Calvary’s cross for His creature’s sin. As God, His death has the infinite power to cancel out the debt and guilt of sin. “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin.” When a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus, the blood of Christ washes him so clean that God sees them whiter than snow. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

At the cross, God showed to the world both His supreme justice and also His super-abundant love — supreme justice, in that sin got its proper due in the death of His Son, and super-abundant love, in that through the death of His Son sinners might be justified and accounted righteous before Him. Because of the wonderful work which took place at the cross, God can remain just and yet offer forgiveness to guilty sinners.

Abe Lincoln was a great president who worked for justice in this world. But there is One far more excellent than he, who is perfect in justice. His justice outshines the best of men more than the sun outshines a flickering candle. In the end, through His almighty power, justice will reign supreme.

Friend, sin has tipped the scale of justice against you, and nothing you can do will ever set it right again. No amount of good works, religious devotions or wishful thinking will ever bring it back to level. The only way for you as a sinner to be reckoned right with God is for you to believe on Him who justifies the ungodly: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).

Only through faith in Christ is the debt of sin cancelled. Oh that, through grace, you might trust the Lord Jesus for salvation, for He is worthy!

The Homing Instinct

Taken from its hive, the bee knows its way home and makes a “beeline” back.

An eel travels down the Rhine till she reaches the Azores, lays her eggs, and dies. Her progeny return to the Rhine and the process is repeated.

Terns were carried in a hooded cage from their nesting grounds off the coast of Florida to Galveston, Texas, released, and in less than a week returned.

Salmon leave the sea, enter fresh waters, and ascend far inland, deposit their eggs and die. Young salmon return to the deep sea, grow up, and then find their way up the very same river to pay their debt to their kind and to nature.

In the spiritual nature of mankind there is that homing instinct. Something within says, “Not here, not here, but back to God.”

Isaiah 44:22 tells us: “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee.”

Have you returned?

I Am Ready!

The recent tsunami that struck the little Samoan Islands had very little warning. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii was able to send out the message, but it was only ten minutes before the first of four walls of water — fifteen to twenty feet high — struck. Ten minutes!

Ten minutes to “settle your affairs” and prepare to leave this life if you can’t escape the raging, crushing wave thundering behind your fleeing body. Many did not quite make it to a place of safety above the water level — and there were four of those devastating waves. One who was caught in the water was a school teacher from New Zealand. Riding in the back of a truck with about twenty school children, they were overtaken by the first wave. The wave “tossed the truck” and it came down on its passengers.

Deep under water, the school teacher thought, Most of the children must have died instantly — is this my time to die, to come home? . . . I’m ready!

To her surprise, she was suddenly “popped” from under the water — alive — and was taken to a hospital.

She was “ready,” ready for whatever came, whether life or death, and that is as it should be. There is no time while racing frantically ahead of a death-dealing surge of water and losing the race!

How dangerous it is to postpone preparation for the end of life and what comes afterward. It will come, you know, and no amount of “putting it off” or saying “tomorrow” will prevent that day from coming.

We have been warned. The Bible tells us that “NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). We have only now and no assurance that we will have another day — another hour — or even another minute! Don’t waste your time! Prepare now, so that if disaster overtakes you, there will be the secure knowledge that you can say, “I am ready!”

An Impassable Chasm

Fishermen started making the trek out on to the Lake Erie ice floe hours before dawn. At dawn there was a slight crack in the ice near shore. The crack was hardly noticeable. The weather forecasters predicted 35 mph winds and temperatures warming to 45° by midday. The ice floe was several miles long, eighteen inches thick, and several hundred yards wide.

Fishing has a way of getting into a man’s blood, sort of like the lust for gold might get into a miner’s heart. It makes them capable of doing crazy things. The prize they were seeking was the walleye. The walleye is a ferocious predator. It has large eyes, when full-grown it is about as long as a man’s arm, and the fish puts up a big fight when hooked. Lake Erie is full of them.

A little after daylight the crack widened to about one foot in places. Still the fishermen came by the scores. Some drove all-terrain vehicles. In places men made bridges of wood pallets to help them cross over. By 10:00 in the morning there were 135 fishermen on the ice floe trying to catch walleyes.

Then in late morning it happened. The ice floe broke completely away from shore. The pallet bridges fell into the icy water with a splash. The fishermen became completely separated from shore. The 135 men were trapped on a raft of ice. The wind and currents pushed the ice floe quickly out to open water. The men had no means at their disposal to return to shore. The water was far too cold to swim. A chasm had opened up between them and safety.

Soon the ice floe was over a thousand feet from shore.

The men floating out into the open water of Lake Erie on an ice floe is a little picture of souls in this world drifting away from God. Sin has come in and opened up a chasm between God and men.

“Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you,” a verse in the Bible reads (Isaiah 59:2).

The chasm first opened up in the dawn of the history of the human race when the first parents disobeyed God’s commandment, and the human race has been drifting away from God ever since. Human beings separated from God, for the most part, have preferred to go about their various pursuits as if nothing is wrong. One reason God allows so much trouble in the world is so that men and women come to their senses and realize something drastic has gone wrong. If it were not for the constant trials and tribulations which come into our lives, who would seek God?

Instant Access

What marvels the ads for the new cell phones offer! Access — instant access — anywhere, anytime. (Of course, there must be a phone at the other end!) But — instant? One may be able to “call home” across the continent from a moving car or plane or while hiking in the woods, but try a simple call to an office in the same city!

You will probably meet the familiar “press one —press two” set of choices, followed by a long and tiresome explanation of what a great company you have reached, interrupted by a different voice insisting, “Your call is important to us; please hold.” Contrast that with the clear promise in the Word of God, “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24). Incredible! “Before they call,” the answer is on its way. Then “while they are yet speaking,” He hears. There is no “voice mail” — nothing between the listening God and the praying soul. Truly, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Then there is Caller ID. A glance at the ringing phone and one knows whether to pick it up and say, “Hi!” or, if the number is strange to you, just ignore the call.

God has Caller ID too. He says of His own, “I know them . . . ” and their calls reach Him at once. But there are others to whom He will one day sadly say, “I know you not. . . . Depart from Me.”

And then, your new cell phone must be “activated.” It is not enough to have the phone and to know all about its use — what buttons to push, what procedures to follow — you must have it “activated.” That is somewhat equivalent to “connection” for wired phones. Otherwise, the phone will be just dead and useless.

That is most important and so easy! The Lord Jesus paid the “activation fee” when He gave His life on the cross of Calvary. Now one simply has to accept — believe and receive — His sacrifice personally, that is, for yourself, for “as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). The activation — the connection — the power is now the right of every believer, with all the everlasting benefits that accompany it.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

The Loss of the Mauna Loa

It was early December, 1941, and the steamship Mauna Loa was heading for Honolulu with a cargo of Christmas trees and holiday turkeys. As the ship approached her destination, a radio warning sounded and advised the ship to turn around and go back to Oregon. War had just begun; Pearl Harbor had been bombed, and Honolulu was too dangerous a destination for any unarmed civilian ship.

Reluctantly, the Mauna Loa sailed back to Oregon. As it came time to locate the Columbia River entrance to the city of Astoria with its friendly docks, the sailors anxiously looked for familiar lights along the shore. As they calculated when they should have arrived, they kept watching and wondering why they did not see the expected lights. And then — CRUNCH! The ship had run aground just where they expected to enter the wide mouth of the river. The sailors knew that war had started, but no one had warned them that there was a BLACKOUT ordered and all lights along the shore were to be darkened at night even so far from Pearl Harbor.

The entire cargo and ship was lost. Thankfully, the crew was safely rescued. This reminds us of the results of moral darkness in which men and women are found in God’s sight, in the darkness which can only lead to destruction. God has revealed His heart of love for lost sinners and has provided light from heaven in the Word of God. But we live in ever-deepening moral darkness.

One cannot glance at a newspaper, turn on a TV, or even just listen to the language unthinkingly used by children at play, without realizing that the light of morality has grown very, very dark. Is there no light anywhere? Must we stumble in darkness, seeking the straight way, the clear, clean path that leads from darkness today?

No, not at all! The Lord Jesus said it so plainly: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). What a promise! While walking through this sad world, we can have the light of life, and beyond that, Jesus Himself will go with us every step of the way. His sure promise is, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

Lost in a Swamp

The little girl had been wandering in the swamp for four days. Four days — think about it! But she was a very self-reliant little eleven-year-old and accustomed to “playing by herself.”

She watched the little woods animals, collected shells, and found nuts and berries to eat. She also did one most important thing: She prayed. Alone in the midst of many dangers (poisonous plants, snakes, treacherous soil and even quicksand), quietly, calmly and trustfully she prayed.

She was not alone in her prayers; neighbors were praying, many who saw the notices of a lost child prayed, and at home, most fervently of all, her family prayed.

She was found! Scratched and bruised and mosquito-bitten, she had lived through all the dangers and problems she had faced and was still able to tell her rescuers, “I’m the little girl that was lost in the swamp!”

It was happy, so happy, for her, but think what it must have meant to her family! Can you imagine their joy? It is just a little picture of something that the Lord Jesus told His followers when He was on earth: “Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that [repents].” Joy in heaven? Yes. He says again: Joy shall be in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner — just one? — yes, even just one sinner that repents.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that there is joy and rejoicing in heaven for you?

Miracle Ear & Whispers of Love

In the poetry of Ecclesiastes, Solomon described a painful process that was as common in his ancient world, three thousand years ago, as it is in our modern world today: that is, the loss of hearing as people grow old. In rich imagery he portrayed the aging process in Ecclesiastes: “In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves . . . and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low.”

In our modern world we have technology to counteract the loss of hearing that the ancients could only dream about. Recently, I came across an interesting advertisement for a product called Miracle Ear. Miracle Ear is a small hearing device which fits snugly behind one ear. The words, “Whispers of Love,” were written prominently in bold print in the bottom part of the ad. The advertisement further explained that by purchasing this hearing device a person could once again hear softly spoken expressions of love from the people near and dear to them.

The hearing device might have the name of “Miracle” attached to it, but at best it is man-made and so not really a miracle. If you want a truly miraculous hearing aid, I know of a marvelous one perfectly fitted for you. This “aid” will assist you in hearing the most meaningful and beautiful whispers of love a man or woman could ever hear. The price is free, and the giver wants you to have it.

The love comes from no less a person than the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the great lover of our souls. To make a way to save us from our sins, He went to Calvary’s cross and died in the sinner’s place. “God commendeth His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Because He died and rose again, He can offer a free salvation to all those who believe on His name.

Do you hear? A more marvelous message is not to be found. It is God, the one supreme, infinite being of the universe, making the offer of a free salvation. You need this offer because you have sinned and come short of His glory. If you continue to live in your sin until you die, your soul will be cast out of His presence forever in a place called hell. In love He wants you to receive His free gift, so that the guilt of your sin might be 100% removed and you might be fit to enter into His presence in heaven.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love,” God said through the prophet Jeremiah. God demonstrated this love to the world when He sent His Son into the world to die for sinners, in the greatest act of love the world has ever seen.

Sin has dulled our ability to understand truths concerning God. Without God’s grace or supernatural aid, we would never know how God has met our desperate need as sinners in the death of His Son. The dullness of our spiritual perception isn’t due to our getting older, but to sin. Sin has a way of blinding our hearts and dulling our minds.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is the gift God” (Ephesians 2:8). We need grace for every step we take toward God in this life. Grace to hear His word as it really is: the Word of God. Grace to help us feel sorrow for our sins, and then turn from them in repentance. We need grace in our hearts to believe in Christ as the Saviour of sinners. As believers, we need grace to help us persevere in the faith, and grace to work every good work. Once we get to heaven we will look back on our lives, and with hearts overflowing with gratitude, we will realize God’s grace helped us every step of the way.

God’s grace can enrich our lives in all these ways, but the life of faith begins when, by His grace, you are enabled to hear His word and believe in Christ as Saviour.

Oh, that by God’s grace you might hear the whispers of His love, and that they might lead you to a life of faith. Hearing the slightest whisper of His love while down here on earth has the power to make our hearts rejoice. But the joy of being in heaven and seeing Him as He is will fill our hearts with an overflowing joy which will never, never end. It is past the power of human language to describe the joys of heaven. Won’t you bow your heart to Him and make the Lord Jesus your Lord and Saviour by faith, so that the joy of heaven might someday be yours?

Mount Usu, Volcano

Snow-crowned and beautiful, Mount Usu towers above the little resort towns of Date, Sobetsu and Abata — hot springs resorts — on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Most northerly of the islands, Hokkaido is a center for winter sports with its forested mountains. But, lovely though it is, an ominous little plume of steam rises from the center of many of its mountains.

One such is Mount Usu. Under the snow and ice, a fire burns, and a not-so-sleeping volcano threatens to erupt. Wise in the ways of volcanoes, the Japanese authorities evacuated thousands of residents from the danger zone at the time of the most recent eruption.

There will undoubtedly be another eruption eventually. How many lives may be lost in that one? Hopefully none. They will have seen the danger and acted prudently.

A particular danger is the possibility of a mudslide as snow melts on the sides of the mountain. A previous mudslide killed seventy-nine people, and there are many, many more inhabitants in the same area now. In Colombia, South America, an eruption sent mudslides racing through a town and killed almost 25,000 people. There was little warning then and no evacuation ordered. Lately, in another South American country, the mayor of a large city was quoted as saying that “the people . . . will have to learn to live with unstable volcanoes.”

We, too, seem to be living with an “unstable volcano,” a volcano of violence that erupts with little or no warning and in places considered safe. We are careful, we take precautions, but we cannot conceal from ourselves that “the earth [is] filled with violence” and that “the wickedness of man [is] great in the earth” (Genesis 6:3,5).

Thousands of years ago, when the evil in the world had become great, God sent the great flood to destroy all the wicked ones. Since then He has promised that the world will not be destroyed by water again, but that the next judgment will be by fire.

Like the volcano, the warning rumbles can be heard, the rising smoke can be seen, and the time of the end of the day of God’s grace is approaching. Have you listened to the warnings and found a place of safety? There is only one certain refuge; it is found in Romans 10:9: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Saved from what? Saved from the wrath of God that is soon to fall on this wicked world. And that is only the beginning! Saved for all eternity in God’s place of light and love, saved with joy and happiness forever, saved to so much that we can’t even imagine it all now — SAVED.

A New Family for Katya

The tired old road, pocked with puddles and scattered bits of paving, wound across the town to the old building standing in the big yard. Behind the orphanage, dirty water from the farmer’s field ran into the creek where the children played as they swatted the mosquitoes.

Mr. Max pushed the old door open and went inside with his interpreter. “Why are all the children outside now except this little girl?”

“Oh, little Katya has no shoes. She can’t go outside.”

Mr. Max reached into the big bag he carried. “Last week before I came to Siberia, my wife picked up some little shoes for ten cents at the secondhand store. I brought them today; in fact; they are the only ones I have here.”

They fit the little girl perfectly, amazingly. Was that “just a coincidence”?

Katya looked up with lonely eyes. Even in her barren and cheerless surroundings, she was still an attractive little girl.

The visitors left melons and other treats for the children and then called them all in and read a Bible story to them. They told them about the love of God, and how He knew every child’s name. They explained how the Lord Jesus came from heaven to die and pay for our sins so God could bring each person into His family. The Bible says, “As many as received Him, to them gave He [the right] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

The next year Mr. Max returned to visit near the Ural Mountains in Siberia. He was anxious to see little Katya again — but she wasn’t there. Had she died? Was she sick? Was she hiding?

The director of the orphanage explained, “Some men came here and wanted to adopt some of the children, but we knew they would mistreat the girls. So we told the men that Katya and some others were sick and we hid them in the hospital.”

Mr. Max found the hospital, and the nurses gathered the children together. They listened to a Bible story about God’s love and how He wants to wash us clean from sin and bring us into His family. He gave a little doll to Katya, her first, “very own” doll, and then left to visit elsewhere.

After returning home to Canada, Mr. Max told about visiting Siberia and about a little girl who was in danger and needed parents, someone to adopt and love and protect her.

One day he got a letter from Texas, which was very far away. A family had heard about Katya and wanted to adopt her. But when they heard the price they would have to pay to travel to Russia and make all the necessary documents, they were not willing to proceed.

I am so glad that the Lord Jesus was willing and able to come from heaven and to pay the price that was required for me to be brought into the family of God! He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Later he got a letter from Michigan. A family was willing to go and see Katya and to pay the price. Mr. Max sent photos and details of the sad little girl. After many months had passed, he could only wonder what had happened. Then one day a letter came and there was a photo of a happy, smiling little girl. It was Katya!

Her new parents wrote, “She already can speak English. She loves life and sports and games — and playing in the snow. Her whole life has changed; her future is bright.”

When this hopeless orphan came into her new family, everything changed. And this is what God’s salvation does for us. Life takes on a new meaning as we grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. The Bible says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

When we come into God’s family, we don’t want the tattered things of the past life anymore. The future is truly bright. To be washed from our sins, to be given new life, to have the assurance that I will be in heaven for sure is a blessing greater than words can tell, and it can be yours today.

Jesus said, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

Next Time

The forecasts were all right; in fact, they could hardly have been more accurate. “At a certain time today, a very severe storm line will hit the Midwestern states, and precautions should be made at once.”

Exactly as predicted, the storm did hit that area. A line of tornadoes roared through right on time and caught most of the town’s residents scrambling for cover and safety. There were damaged homes and shops, but the major damage was in the many injuries to the people. There were many shelters available (after all, they lived in an area called “Tornado Alley”), but few had availed themselves of them.

Before the storm, many were saying, “We’ve heard it all before; the storms usually miss us!”

After the storm, the most frequent remark was that “next time we’ll be ready for the worst that can happen! We’ll be fully prepared!” But very few sought shelter in time this time, and the probability is that the “next time” will find them just as complacent beforehand.

There is a greater storm coming; it will come on all the earth, and the warnings have already been issued. The warning flags are out, and still people are muttering, “We’ve heard it all before.” The warnings of Christ’s second coming to earth have been heard for years — yes, hundreds of years, and the reaction is pretty much the same: “We’ve heard all that!”

Once in a while someone says, ”I mean to get serious about preparing for the future — someday.” We can pray that they will “get serious” about preparing for the future of their souls before it is too late.

One forecaster said, “It is disheartening to speak to people for years and years, and still have them throw away their lives.” No, it is heartbreaking, when it is an immortal soul at stake. Have you listened, really listened, to the warnings you have had? It may well be “too late’’ when this latest warning goes to press. You may never see it — never have another chance. It is truly heartbreaking to realize that the warning was real, but that it is too late to seek for shelter from that terrible storm.

The Bible says, “NOW is the accepted time ... NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

The salvation God offered wasn’t refused; it wasn’t rejected; it was only neglected — only put aside for “another time.” The question is: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” There is never any promise of another time.

No Escape

Many will remember having heard or read of a man known as “The Great Houdini.” He was well-known in his day for astounding large crowds of people with his ability to escape from seemingly impossible situations. Not only did he free himself from many handcuffs and straight-jackets, but also from various sealed chambers. Some equipment he entered into had him immersed underwater, and still he thrilled crowds by escaping.

He was known to seek new challenges as his fame spread, and he welcomed new ways to confine him to show he could not be held captive.

This reminds us of a verse in the Bible that says, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). While it seemed impossible to confine Houdini, he was still a mortal man, and eventually he died of an infection associated with appendicitis.

His amazing feats bring to mind a verse in the Word of God that asks all of us a short but very important question: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). Based upon the truths found in the Bible, if Houdini did not know the Lord Jesus Christ as his own Saviour, he CANNOT escape one thing — and that is a lost eternity in the lake of fire.

God is a God of love and has made full provision for sinners to be fully blessed forever with the forgiveness of sins. This divine forgiveness comes to us when we acknowledge we have offended God by our sins and repent of those sins, along with having faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We do well to stop and consider that question of how we shall escape the judgment we deserve as lost sinners. Dear friend, God is for you and loves you with an infinite love. “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

While Houdini was strong enough to wriggle out of straitjackets, there was no way he could pay for his sins. But the good news for you is “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). By accepting the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, you may enjoy peace with God, knowing you have escaped the judgment your sins deserved. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him” (Psalm 34:8).

Once Too Often

He did it once too often! Who? A boy whose terrible mistake launched him into eternity in the blink of an eye.

What did he do once too often? He ran to cross the railroad tracks before the whizzing express train. It was his habit to wait until the last moment and then dash across right in front of the oncoming train, laughing as the engine almost brushed his very heels.

But he did it once too often. A miscalculation of the distance, a slip, a stumble, or the extra speed of a behind-schedule train: Somehow or other he was caught and in an instant crushed to death.

You may do it once too often! Who? You! You may be sane and rational in everyday affairs, but you may be acting insanely towards your far-more-important soul.

What may you do once too often? Risk your soul! Once too often you may take a chance with your soul — once too often you may assume that there is plenty of time and that it is safe to postpone the most important decision of your life.

You may take that chance once too often. Where? In a land with Bibles on every side; in a land with privileges unparalleled and where no one need perish in the dark or miss an entrance into heaven because they cannot learn the way.

Jesus says, “I am the way.” Receive Him as your Saviour now. Don’t refuse His love any longer. Remember, you may do it once too often.

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

Out of This Life

Out of this life I cannot take

Things of silver and gold I make;

All that I cherish and hoard away,

After I leave on earth must stay;

Though I call it mine and boast its worth,

I must give it up when I quit the earth;

All that I gather and all that I keep

I must leave behind when I fall asleep.

I wonder often just what I shall own

In that other life where I go alone;

What shall He find and what shall He see

In the soul that answers the call for me?

Shall the great Judge say, when I am through,

That I’ve laid up treasure in heaven too?

Or shall it at last be mine to find

That all I worked for I left behind?

Pathan or Christian?

In India there lived a Kazi (a judge of a civil court) who was a Pathan and a Moslem. Soon after trusting in Jesus Christ as his Saviour, he went back to his frontier home in Afghanistan. There he visited his brother.

After a dinner in the brother’s house, the Kazi became ill. He suffered more and more, until he realized that he had been poisoned. Seeking to escape certain death at his brother’s hands, he fled the house and ran down the road until he fell unconscious by the roadside. There he was found by friends and rescued.

Later a bullet whizzed by his head and he narrowly escaped death a second time. Still another time he heard the click of a trigger and turned just in time to let a bullet pass harmlessly by.

Yet when his brother fell into financial difficulty, the Kazi tried to help him. He succeeded in getting someone to help his brother out of his troubles. The ungrateful brother wrote: “You are not a true Pathan, for no Pathan would ever forgive what I have done to you. I disown you!”

The Kazi wrote back, “Whether or not I am a true Pathan, you must judge. But what I am, this book has made me,” and he sent his brother a copy of the Bible.

Hard and unforgiving though the brother was, yet he could not resist the patient love of His Christian brother. Soon he was reading the Bible and learning of God our Saviour, “who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” All men — everywhere. Pathan or Indian, Hindu or Moslem, all are invited to come in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who promises that “him that cometh to Me I will in no wise out” (John 6:37).

The Pharisee

“Pharisees — outwardly religious; self-righteous and censorious of other’s manners and morals” (Webster).

The Pharisees were a sanctimonious sect in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. It was one of their number who went up into the temple to pray and said, “God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are” and then went on with a self-righteous listing of his own good deeds.

Surely, the sect has died out by now? Surely, there are no Pharisees today?

Judge for yourself! A poll published in U.S.A. Today found that a great majority of Americans believe in heaven, and most of them rate their own chances of going to heaven as “good to excellent.” But they feel their friends are not nearly so likely to get there. (“Lord, I thank Thee that I am not as others!”) Pharisees to the core!

What does the Bible say about it? Will being better than others save them? Will it open heaven’s door to be “not so bad as some”? The Bible says that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Being “better than others” does not make anyone less short of the glory of God, for all have sinned. And there we find the key: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). While the Pharisee was telling God what a good man he was, another man was also in the temple, and his prayer was only, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

A sinner! A self-confessed sinner! What claim did he have on the grace of God? The Pharisee thanked God that he was so much better than that, but what did the Lord Jesus say? “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.”

That is it. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Heaven is not gained by doing good, or by avoiding evil; it is not won by being better than this one or not so bad as that one, but simply by receiving the mercy God offers to sinners. It is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).

It is a pity that that poor Pharisee didn’t realize that; it is more than a pity that he has so many descendents in the world today. It is a tragedy! And it is so unnecessary. It is still true that “this Man [Jesus] receiveth sinners.” It is still true that “joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” The Lord Jesus Himself said that in Luke 15:7.

Then what about the Pharisee? He, too, can cause that joy in heaven, but only by taking his rightful place as a sinner before God and trusting in the sinner’s Saviour. There is no other way.

Pivotal Points in History

Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the founders of Microsoft, saw an early computer in 1975 on the cover of Popular Electronics. The machine had a few switches and no display. They contacted the inventor, Henry Roberts, and offered to write software for it. Yes, it did crash at times, but soon customers were buying the machine and programming in BASIC, a new computer language.

Years later, they said, “The day our software worked was the start of a lot of great things.”

Dr. Roberts, who invented the machine, died in April 2010. He was called the “father of the personal computer,” and his machine sparked the home computer era. It certainly was a pivotal time, a significant happening.

The co-founder of “Apple,” Steve Wozniak, said that Dr. Roberts had “taken a critically important step that led to everything we have today.”

The resurrection of Jesus was an even more pivotal historical event that brought us the great things we treasure today. The angel told His disciples, “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said” (Matthew 28). These words not only sparked a revolution of hope, but Jesus Christ has changed virtually every aspect of human life. Many fail to realize that.

Historian K. Latourette put it this way: “Measured by His effect on history, the life of Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet.”

Another writer said: “Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ’s 3-year ministry transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers.”

Sadly, another writer wishes “the world could have been spared the 2000-year sickness of Christendom.” Interestingly, the people living under Nazi darkness, under Stalin’s terror, under Mao’s revolution, and under the reign of the Khmer Rouge were all spared that “sickness.”

Millions died under those governments. And when I traveled through Siberia, I didn’t meet any whose families thought those days were a picnic. Many recounted “mountains of suffering” under the government that wiped out twice as many of its own citizens as the enemy did in World War II. They overwhelmingly received the Bibles we had brought and begged that their children might hear the “story of Jesus.”

What a wonderful story it is! It tells of Jesus Christ, who came from His glorious place in heaven, down to a humble little home on earth. He was here, on the same earth we know, and He spent His time in “doing good.” He healed the sick, He fed the hungry, and He lived a perfect and sinless life through all.

How did humanity treat that kind and gentle One? They murdered Him, by the most painful death they knew. So the Bible says, “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). He died, but not before He had cried out triumphantly, “It is finished” (John 19:30)!

Thankfully, that day was more of a beginning than an end. He rose from the dead the third day after His death, never to die again. Read the story in Matthew 28. That’s the last page of the first book in the New Testament. It could be the first page of the rest of your life. It could be the pivotal point of your history. It was for me.

Don’t wait.

The Pretty Little Snake

It didn’t look dangerous, that little rattlesnake. It lay on the doorstep like a pretty little toy dropped by a child. Even its tiny rattles could only sound a little buzz, inaudible unless you brought your ears within a few feet. But it was still a true member of the pit viper family and so poisonous that even a “road-killed” little one could still deliver a fatal bite with a reflex action.

But how was 87year-old Mrs. Orreno to know all this? Recently come from her native Italy, she was accustomed to dealing with snakes bigger than this little miniature! So when she found one on her doorstep, she used her cane to push the snake off.

It didn’t leave. She reached down and picked it up. Then it bit her. She tried to treat the wound herself, washing it off and then trying to suck the venom out, but her daughter called an ambulance and she was rushed to emergency. After a full course of antivenin and two nights in intensive care, she was released from the hospital to go home, wiser in the ways of American snakes.

The little rattler? Oh, he is now in the family freezer as a “trophy” —and a reminder. A reminder and a warning, a warning that right there — in easy reach and close to you — is a deadly danger. Did you know that the devil, Satan, is sometimes spoken of as “that old serpent,” and he is said to “go about seeking whom he may devour.” He does not have your good in his heart; his object is to take you with him to that dreadful place called “hell,” to exist with him forever.

There will be no light there, and no love, and always and forever the bitter memory of the opportunities you refused or ignored or just neglected of accepting the salvation so freely offered. WHY will you die? Oh, why, why, why?

Don’t let the poison of “that old serpent” ruin your eternity!

Procrastination

“I will tomorrow, that I will;
I will be sure to do it”;
Tomorrow comes, tomorrow goes,
And still you are to do it.

So still repentance is deferred
From today until tomorrow,
Until the day of death is come,
And judgment brings you sorrow.

A.D. 1632

Profit or Loss?

What will it profit, when life here is done,

Though great worldly wisdom I gain,

If, seeking knowledge, I utterly fail

The wisdom of God to obtain?

What will it profit, when life here is done,

Though gathering riches and fame,

If, gaining the world, I lose my own soul,

And in heaven unknown is my name?

What will it profit, when life here is done,

Though earth’s farthest corners I see,

If, going my way and doing my will,

I miss what His love planned for me?

What will it profit? My soul, stop and think

What balance that day will declare!

Life’s record laid bare, will gain turn to loss

And leave me at last to despair?

Questio, and Exclamations of Joy

Do you know where the symbol referred to as the “question mark” comes from?

In olden Roman times, it was standard practice for a person writing out an interrogative sentence to write the Latin word “questio” after the string of words to show it was a question. To save space, the word “questio” was eventually shortened to the first and last letters of the word or “qo.” These two letters placed at the end of questions sometimes caused confusion because readers would think they were part of the last word. In order to avoid this confusion the letters “q” and “o” were stacked. The “q” was placed on top and the “o” on the bottom. Over time, minor changes occurred, and it became standard practice to shrink the “o” to a dot, which brings us to the shape of our modern question mark.

The ending punctuation for sentences of inquiry has evolved from “questio” to “qo” to “?”. But the most important inquiries the human race has ever made haven’t evolved. They have remained the same through the ages. Questions such as what is man’s final purpose? What caused him to exist? Is there life after death? Who gave him the capacity to think and feel? These ageless questions haven’t changed. They are questions which it is the duty of every man or woman to ask. Not to ask them is to shirk one’s duty as a human being. Not to ask them is to deny a fundamental part of who we are, for we are spiritual, as well as physical, beings.

“Ask and it shall be given you, seek and [you will] find, knock and [the door] will be opened to you,” the Lord Jesus Christ spoke in Matthew 7:7. Asking these age-old questions has the potential for bringing great joy into a person’s life. That brings us to the origin of a second symbol used in punctuation.

Do you know where our symbol “!” comes from?

This symbol comes from the Latin word “io” which has the beautiful meaning of “exclamation of joy.” In order to save space, the “io” eventually became stacked and later it became customary to turn the “o” into a dot. This is how the exclamation point we use today developed.

How wonderful to think of these two punctuation marks together. Serious questions about the One who made us can lead us to God. God can fill us with exclamations of joy. I want my life to be punctuated by exclamations of joy. I am sure you share the same desire for yourself. But no one desires this as much as the One who made us.

However, the entire human race has become separated from Him because of sin. In their separation, they seek to find happiness in created things instead of in the Giver of all life. Before He can bless us according to the riches of His heart, the problem of sin must be dealt with.

To deliver men and women from the consequences of their sins, God sent His Son into this world. After living a perfect life before men, Jesus Christ was taken by cruel hands and crucified. It wasn’t the nails which held the Lord Jesus to the cross but His love for lost sinners. He knew that it could only be through His sacrificial death that sinners might have their sins put away. Sinners, who deserve to be separated out of God’s presence forever, can now have their sins forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Christ. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

According to the promises of God, those who believe in Christ can look forward to spending eternity with Him in heaven. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). What will heaven be but one endless exclamation of joy! Joy that God loves us! Joy that He made us! Joy that our deepest longings find their complete fulfillment in Him! Joy that will never be interrupted! God sees fit to fill the lives of those who believe on His Son with precious exclamations of joy. They begin here on earth where the slightest whisper of His love makes the hearts of believers to rejoice, but what will heaven be when they see the One who loved them so much He gave His life for them. What joy it will be to be in His presence! To see His face! To hear His voice! To know Him even as He now knows us! Don’t let the love of other things beside God keep you at a distance from Him so that you miss the joy of heaven. Miss heaven and you gain hell, the place of utter misery.

God desires that every man and woman should repent and believe on the Lord Jesus so that they might enjoy His presence forever. He sent His Son to pay the supreme price on Calvary’s cross that He might put their sin away and bring them to Himself. “Now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

He wants everyone to ask all the age-old questions because the answers are found in Jesus Christ. And when looking for the answers, they find Christ. They will have found the door to eternal life! “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved. . . . I am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:9-10).

Rescued on the Race Rocks

For days, a three-hundred-pound stellar sea lion entangled in a rope was trapped on Race Rocks just outside Victoria, Canada. The brown, barren rocks jut up just above the surface of the water near the mouth of the harbor. Across the inlet of the harbor stands the lighthouse. They are called Race Rocks because the tide races by them twice daily. They form a little rock island. Sea birds sometimes roost on the island. A heavy rope had wrapped itself around one of the flippers of a sea lion. The other end of the rope had become lodged in the rocks.

The rope was just long enough so the animal could jump in the water and swim a short distance. However, it wasn’t long enough to enable him to catch fish. The sea lion had gone for days without eating. During these days he had never ceased struggling to free himself from the rope that had cut into his flesh at the base of his flipper.

A team of six workers from the aquarium in Vancouver came to the animal’s assistance. The swift-flowing current and big waves made the rescue difficult. In a rubber zodiac boat they slowly approached the rocks. One of the aquarium workers sighted down the barrel of a rifle and took careful aim with a tranquilizer gun. He squeezed the trigger, and a dart shot out of the gun and hit the animal in the hip. The sea lion felt the sting of the dart, sensed danger, and dove immediately into the water. The workers knew they would have to act fast because the sea lion would lose the ability to swim once the drug started working.

The zodiac boat was driven up to the rocks and four of the workers stepped out on the slippery rocks. They wore orange survival suits to protect them if they fell into the water. It was December and the water was cold. Some of the men had poles to help hold the sea lion’s head out of the water so it could breathe. One of the men was a veterinarian. He held a huge, shiny knife in his hand in order to cut the rope around the flipper. He had to lean way over the edge of the rock to reach the sea lion in the water. The rope was heavy and the veterinarian had to saw through it going back and forth. After he cut through the rope, he inspected the wound on the sea lion’s flipper. It looked like it would heal in time by itself. The veterinarian reached in his pocket and took out another syringe filled with medicine. He gave the sea lion a second shot. This shot counteracted the tranquilizer. In a very short time the sea lion came back to consciousness. The men holding him let go and the sea lion swam slowly off.

The veterinarian later expressed his opinion that the sea lion had a very good chance of surviving.

The sea lion tethered to Race Rocks was a pitiable sight. No matter how it might have struggled, it was no match for the strong rope which held it. Left to itself, it would have died of hunger. Thankfully, it received help from the men at the aquarium and was set free.

A long time ago, a very special Man was nailed to a cross and left to die. This man, far from doing anything wrong, had done remarkable things like giving sight to the blind, multiplying a few loaves and fishes so they might feed thousands, and calming a raging storm at sea. His name is Jesus Christ. However, it wasn’t the nails that held Him to the cross. It was something much stronger. It was His love for lost sinners that held Him there. He knew that in order to set men free, He had to die for their sins. For six hours He remained on the cross, a spectacle for onlookers, before He died.

Afterwards, the most marvelous miracle of all took place. His body was laid in a dark tomb. Early in the third morning He arose from the grave and was seen by many of His followers. Acts 1:3 reads, “To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days.” The word infallible in this verse means foolproof, fail-safe, watertight, and reliable. In short, the resurrection of Christ is a truth you can utterly depend on.

It is by faith in the name of Jesus that every sinner who wants to get into heaven needs to be saved. Acts 10:43 reads, “To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.”

Because He died and rose again, every person who trusts Him as Saviour will be saved. It doesn’t matter how tightly sin has wrapped itself around their hearts or how deeply it has wounded them. He is the Saviour who can forgive them and bring healing to their lives. Won’t you trust Him so you can say like David of old, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who [forgives] all thine iniquities; who [heals] all thy diseases” (Psalm 103:2-3). Sinners who trust in Christ for forgiveness will have reason to praise Him throughout time and eternity.

Reversing the Flow

The city of Chicago is located where the Chicago River flows into Lake Michigan. After its beginning around the year of 1840, the little frontier town grew rapidly and became a center for transportation and manufacturing for the entire region. Lake Michigan, one of the largest freshwater bodies in the world, seemed like an inexhaustible source of clean, healthful drinking water for the young city. But — as the city grew, raw sewage and other pollutants were dumped into the Chicago River, which in turn ran into the lake.

So much garbage was dumped into the Chicago River that it became known as the “Stinking River.” This caused a serious problem, because the drinking water for the city became contaminated. From 1840 to the turn of the century, it is estimated that nearly 100,000 people died from diseases related to drinking unclean water.

What was to be done to address the problem of contaminated water?

The city hired an engineer named Rudolph Hering. Under his direction, locks or huge water-gates were built at the mouth of the river. These locks made it possible to completely reverse the flow of the river. Instead of flowing east into Lake Michigan, the river now flowed west towards the Mississippi River basin. Because the flow of the river was reversed, the water pumped from the lake once again became safe to drink.

The Chicago River flowing into Lake Michigan was bringing dysentery and death to thousands. When the flow was reversed, the drinking water again was safe to drink. One hundred thousand lives was a terrible toll to pay, a toll the city could not afford. But do you know the entire human race has been infected with sin, which will cause the pain of eternal death? “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Not one — not many — but all have sinned and are headed toward a lost eternity because of it.

Drinking from water infected with idolatry, godlessness, deceit, hate and covetousness, each one of us has the dreadful disease of sin. Without the proper remedy, it will cause our eternal death. God was not willing to let men and women perish in their sins, so He sent His Son into the world. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

When the Lord Jesus gave His life for sinners, He made a way that the flow of death might be completely reversed, and instead life might flow out to sinners. He who was without sin was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Just think of it! Sinners who have no claim to any righteousness can be called perfectly righteous when they believe in Christ. That is how the Lord Jesus can reverse the flow of death and make life flow out to you instead.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “All 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). Sin always leads astray. It leads us down paths which lead to death. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” We have all walked down those paths. That is why it is so important to come to Jesus Christ. On the cross He took the punishment for sins He had never committed so that all those who believe on Him might go free.

Rudolph Hering designed a plan to reverse the flow of the Chicago River and make the water of Lake Michigan safe to drink. God Himself made a plan for the salvation of sinners. In this plan, the Lord Jesus Christ would become a man and die for His creature’s sin. The plan is God’s alone. It is how He reversed the flow of death. Will you own yourself a sinner and come to the Saviour to receive His great gift? “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Safety: Don't Travel Without It

I recently took a trip on a ferryboat across fourteen miles of open water near Seattle. The ship has the capacity to carry in excess of 200 vehicles and over 2000 passengers. While I walked the decks, I was struck by the number of safety precautions on board the ship. The operators of the ferry seem to have spared no pains in planning for every possible emergency. For instance, positioned at either end of the ship are Zodiac rescue boats. These rubber boats are equipped with outboard motors and can be swung out over the water on a boom and launched at a moment’s notice. I also noticed several orange ring buoys were intermittently spaced along the rails. These buoys are just the right weight to be thrown a great distance to a person struggling in the water. Another safety feature on the boat is the life preservers placed in well-marked closets and under the bench seats throughout the boat. The life preservers can be reached from every part of the ship. At last, in case of a major fire or mishap, there are four passenger embarkation stations on the ship. At these stations there are large white barrel contraptions with a strap on them. When the straps are pulled, the barrels explode open, releasing an inflatable platform that can hold over 150 passengers. These inflatable platforms are like giant life rafts. Passengers get to these platforms by sliding down an inflatable slide.

As you can see, the list of precautions to ensure the passengers’ safety is impressive. It made me wonder why people, who in general would never dream of traveling on a ferry without these safety precautions, are seemingly willing to take a much greater trip without any forethought for their safety. What is this much greater trip? Each of us is traveling through time to eternity — an eternity which will never end, an eternity either spent in the presence of God where there will be incredible joy or spent in utter darkness and endless sorrow. We are all fellow-travelers in this journey. Even if you have never traveled farther than a block from the home you were born in, you still are a fellow-traveler en-route to eternity. It is the greatest journey a man can take, and we are all taking it.

The danger of ending up lost forever arises from the truth that we are all sinners. By nature and by actions we are far from God. In thought and word and deed, we have done things that have offended His righteousness. We naturally like to entertain a good opinion of ourselves. We also like to avoid pain. It is often with great reluctance that we come to the realization that we are sinners, because it destroys our good opinion about ourselves and causes inward pain. However, in the journey through life, it is essential for us to face the truth of who we are so that we might look to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. The Bible calls coming to the realization that we are lost sinners “repentance.” There must be “repentance” in a soul if they will ever make it into heaven. A soul that doesn’t come to realize their lost condition will always be content to pass the Saviour by.

God in His grace has provided all the safety precautions necessary to bring souls safely to heaven. He showed how much He loved the human race in that Christ became a man and died for sinners. Through sin, man has incurred an infinite debt that will pull him down to a lost eternity. Souls cannot continue to carry this debt and make it into heaven. The debt exceeds what any mere man can pay. So God, in amazing grace, became a man. Only God could pay the infinite debt incurred by sin. Since man had incurred the debt, man should pay it. On the cross, Christ, the Son of Man, gave His life and paid the terrible debt in full. “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Souls who come to the Lord Jesus in repentance and faith have their debt completely cancelled. “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” It is only by coming to the Lord Jesus that a soul can be certain of eternal safety and security. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Fellow-traveler, please know that God loves you very much, so much that Christ was willing to become a man and give His life for you. He did this out of a love for you and a desire to bring you back to Himself. He wants you, no matter how deeply you have fallen into sin, to come to Him for salvation.

We are all travelers on the greatest journey of all. Each of us needs to have a care for the welfare of our souls, for we will soon be in eternity. Won’t you consider your need as a sinner and come to Him who alone can give the safety and certainty of eternal life? Be wise! Don’t travel through life without it!

Salvation's Day

Straying far on sin’s dark mountain

Like a sheep that’s gone astray,

Every moment takes you farther

From the straight and narrow way.

As a silly sheep, not knowing

Where the path you tread will lead,

Straying farther into darkness —

None but Christ can meet your need.

Listen to the wondrous story:

Jesus came the lost to save;

Gave His life, His blood, on Calvary;

Rose victorious from the grave.

Lives in glory to receive you;

None are ever turned away,

While the door of mercy’s open,

While it’s called Salvation’s Day.

Now to you He calls in mercy,

Calls to you, to all oppressed;

Yes, to you the word is written,

“Come, and I will give you rest.”

Sin and Its Cure

The worst of all diseases

Is slight compared with sin;

On every part it seizes,

But rages most within.

It’s palsy, plague and fever,

And madness, all combined;

And none but a believer

The least relief can find.

From men great skill professing

I thought a cure to gain;

But this proved most distressing,

And added to my pain.

Some thought that nothing ailed me;

Some gave me up for lost;

So every refuge failed me

And all my hopes were crossed.

At length the great Physician

(How matchless is His grace!)

Accepted my petition,

And undertook my “case.”

First gave me sight to view Him,

For sin my eyes had sealed;

Then bade me look unto Him —

I looked, and I was healed!

There's Plenty of Time

Flee for your lives! Leave quickly! Soufriere is going to erupt!” George Edwards could be seen going from house to house in the little village, crying out these words, warning everyone he saw: “Leave now, before it is too late!”

Even as he spoke, rumblings could be heard coming from the volcano towering four thousand feet above them. Smoke was billowing out from the peak, as it had been doing for some days.

George Edwards was a God-fearing man who had, for years, told these people of safety for eternity by trusting in the Lord Jesus. Now he had two messages of warning to the people. The first was God’s message: “Flee from the wrath to come,” and, “Beware lest He take thee away with His stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.”

Now his warnings were doubly true. He was being paid by the government of the island of St. Vincent to watch the mountain and to give warning when it seemed ready to erupt. During the past few days it was obvious that something was happening to the mountain. The quiet and peaceful area was disturbed by strange sounds and smoke and dust. However, after a few days the people became used to them and continued their work in their gardens and homes — that is, until Mr. Edwards came along with his disturbing cries: “Leave at once.” He pleaded again and again, “It’s not safe to stay!”

Some left their homes and gardens and fled, but many did not. It would be too hard to leave everything! So they kept right on with their work. They said, “Ol’ Soufriere’s OK. There’s plenty of time.”

At last George Edwards dared wait no longer, and he fled the town just before the mountain burst out in a burning, flaming eruption. Molten lava poured down the mountainside, destroying everything in its path. Down, down it came. Two miles — three — right through the village without waiting for any now as they tried to flee. Almost 2000 people were swept into eternity — some killed by the poisonous gases and many trapped in the superheated lava as it flowed onward four miles and out to sea. Then even the sea began to boil and the seawater turned to steam. What a tragedy! How heartbreaking, even for those who had fled, to have their homes demolished so suddenly — but they had escaped with their lives.

Those who remained behind in the village no doubt intended to leave in time, but they put it off until it was too late. Have you done the same thing to God’s message? Have you put off your answer to His loving invitation? Oh, don’t delay!

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Don’t delay, my friend; delay is dangerous. Come to Him NOW! The Lord Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross of Calvary. He will save you today, if you will only own your lost condition before Him and flee to Him for shelter. We can warn and plead with you, but YOU must take the loving Saviour at His word: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

Thinking of You With Enchanted Thoughts

A beautiful baby girl wrapped in a blanket was abandoned near the door of a department store in China. A small piece of paper was pinned to the blanket. In Chinese script it read, “Her name is Si Ya.” In English it means, “Thinking of you with enchanted thoughts.”

The mother disappeared out of the baby’s life forever that day. Perhaps the reason she abandoned her infant had to do with the baby’s health. Si Ya was born with a serious heart condition — her skin had a continual bluish tint.

The baby was sent to an orphanage. Workers there made sure she had the best care at their disposal, but they had limited means. They didn’t expect the child would live long. However, Si Ya surprised them — she had a happy disposition and a strong will to live.

When she was two years old, adoption workers tried to find a family to adopt her. She needed open-heart surgery to repair her heart. The surgery would have to be done at a U.S. hospital with advanced technology. Even though the child had a strong will to live, it was doubtful she would survive the year without the surgery.

Finally a family was found, and arrangements were made to send the little girl to the U.S. where she would have her surgery and a new life. Even though she had a heart condition, Si Ya was loved and very much wanted by this family.

Do you know that even though the entire human race has a tragic heart condition, they are still loved and very much wanted by God to become part of His family? The heart condition they have is “sin.” It is a serious disease that causes spiritual blindness, apathy, and eventually leads to everlasting death and separation forever from the God who made them. Their need is urgent! They need treatment before it is too late.

The story begins when my wife found biographical information about Si Ya on the Internet. The site asked for assistance in finding a surgeon in the U.S. who would perform the needed heart surgery without cost. My wife eagerly contacted several doctors and various organizations on behalf of Si Ya, but without success. They told her the child would need to be adopted by an American family before they could help.

We hadn’t known until then that Si Ya was adoptable. It didn’t take long for us to decide to bring her into our family of six! That very same day we contacted the adoption agency to say we wanted the child and began the adoption process.

Plans were made. Si Ya would arrive in the U.S. in three weeks. We would meet her in Rochester, Minnesota, where we planned on being beside her as she recovered from the operation. If successful, the surgery would enable her to lead a normal life. Other children who had this same operation were playing soccer and sports. We felt sure Si Ya would soon be doing the same.

It didn’t take long for this little girl to get locked into our hearts, even though we hadn’t seen her yet. Our children bought presents for her — little things to show they loved her already. We talked about rearranging the bedrooms. The days were flying by, and we were excited!

It was just a week away from the anticipated time of Si Ya’s arrival in the U.S. We wondered how long it would take her to recover from open-heart surgery and how long it might be until we could bring her home.

But it was not to be. Half an hour into my teaching day, my principal came into my classroom and told me I needed to go to the office where my wife was waiting. I found her in tears. She told me, weeping, that Si Ya had died during the night. Our hearts were broken.

“Little Si Ya, you lived a short life of two years. My wife and I did think of you with enchanted thoughts. I hope the angels in heaven tell you of a family that wanted you and longed for you and were doing all they could to bring you home. I hope they tell you of two sisters and two brothers who were going to welcome you into their lives and share everything they had with you. Little Si Ya, I hope the angels tell you that this family wept for you and their hearts were broken when they heard you died. I hope they explain that your family is looking forward to telling you in person how much they love you, and that we planned to welcome you into our home. It never happened, but someday soon we will be with you in our true home in heaven. You will never come to us, but we will come to you.

“I’m very glad that suffering will never touch you again and that you are in the presence of God. I know you will be happy in heaven, and I am sure you are finding out how much God loves you in enchanted ways. Loneliness and sadness are now only distant shadows of your past.”

I don’t always understand the “why” of what God does, but He loves each of us with a love that is full of enchanting thoughts. His love is so great that He gave His Son for us. On the cross, the Lord Jesus paid the sinner’s debt, so that those who believe and receive the Saviour will have a home in heaven.

It was with great urgency that treatment was sought for little Si Ya. She wasn’t going to live unless she got treatment swiftly. We knew this, but it hit us with a shock when she died. It is with great urgency that I ask you to think of what Jesus Christ has done for you. Because of sin, your eternity hangs in the balance.

The urgency of the message is this: Unless souls believe on Christ and His finished work on the cross, they will not gain admittance into heaven. God loves the sinner, but He hates their sin. It is only by faith in Christ that sinners can find forgiveness. Time is short. If you ignore the message of God’s grace, you run a horrible risk of losing your soul forever. Continue apart from Christ and you will someday get the shock of your life when you find out the decisions you made in this life will be confirmed for the endless ages of eternity. What terrible heartbreak is in store for those who reject the Saviour’s love!

God loves you. He wants you to become part of His family through faith in Christ Jesus. Don’t refuse His love, but come to the Saviour right now. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

A Throw-Away Baby

In the night, Officer Marsha Melbourne drove her car through the slums of Johannesburg and up to a dilapidated house. A concerned person in the neighborhood had called the police to report what sounded like screams coming from the house. The place looked deserted. The windows were broken, and the front door was partially off its hinges. Shining her flashlight through the open door, she saw rats scurry across a floor littered with garbage. Pushing the door open, she entered with her partner. They searched the place with their flashlights. They didn’t find any sign of foul play, and they were about to leave when they heard a faint sound which seemed to come from the direction of a dirty bucket. She went over to the bucket, pointed the beam of her flashlight into it, and what she saw made her wince with pain. In the bucket she found a newborn baby, probably a couple of hours old, which had apparently been abandoned and left to die.

Officer Melbourne spoke into her shoulder-mounted radio and requested the aid of paramedics. Then she picked up the tiny infant and held it in her arms close to her body to keep it warm. When she picked up the baby, something stirred in the depths of her heart, and she knew she would have to try to make this baby, which had been thrown away and left to die, part of her own family.

Paramedics rushed the baby to the hospital in an ambulance. Officer Melbourne followed close behind in the squad car. Doctors checked out the vital signs of the baby, and nurses washed it clean. Then the policewoman pulled a hospital gown over her uniform and sat in a rocking chair holding the infant the rest of the night. She would go on to spend a lot of her spare time in the weeks to come in the hospital caring for the baby. She also took all the legal steps for adoption. Today, the child which was thrown away and left to die is part of a healthy, loving family and is very much loved and wanted.

Do you know that God’s heart goes out to you — lost and lonely and sin-stained — and He wants you to become part of His family and belong to Him forever? There isn’t a soul living in this whole wide world whom God doesn’t love and long to see come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Men in weakness, ignorance, malice and selfish wickedness are capable of committing every kind of sin, even abandoning a tiny baby to die. God is not like sinful man. God didn’t make the souls of men in order to abandon them. In Him there is an absence of all malice or ill will towards others. He is perfect love. “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

In order to save sinners, the Son of God came from heaven to earth to become a man. He was born in a stable, but His birth was announced by angels. “There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:814).The coming of Christ shows, as nothing else ever could, the good will of God towards men.

At the age of thirty Jesus began His public ministry. As He walked about the country of Israel, He did countless miracles, healing the sick and lame, giving sight to the blind, and even raising the dead back to life. At the end of three and a half years, He was taken by men who hated Him, given a false trial and condemned to death by crucifixion. He was nailed to a cross, where He hung for six hours before He died. The crucifixion of Christ was the darkest deed ever committed by mankind.

His body was taken down off the cross, wrapped in a linen cloth, and laid in a tomb cut out of a rock. A large stone was rolled over the mouth of the tomb. His body lay in the grave during the last part of Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning.

On the third day, early in the morning, He arose from the grave. A few of His followers came to the grave to mourn and found the stone rolled away. “They found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: and as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:27).

What is the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to you?

It means souls that deserve death, darkness and eternal punishment for their sins might instead find pardon, forgiveness, healing and eternal life. “Jesus . . . who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:2425). He can justify sinners because He died in their place.

It means God was not willing to abandon souls even when they were far from Him in the enmity of their hearts. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

It means no one needs to perish, but, through faith, all might be saved: “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The policewoman searched the dilapidated house, found the abandoned baby, and adopted her into her own family. The Lord Jesus is looking for you. He wants to find you and shine the beam of his light into your heart so that you know His great love and the wonderful things He has done for you. He wants you to bow your heart before Him, confess that you are lost, and place your faith in Him so that you might be His child forever.

You can die and go to a lost eternity, but you can never die unloved. God offers you the gift of eternal life, and it will be yours if you accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour, but if you reject Him, you will throwing your own soul away for all eternity. You will be the one responsible for this. Don’t go on another moment without Him who alone can save your soul. He is the Saviour this world so desperately needs.

Two Maps

I had two maps to a friend’s house. The first was roughly drawn in pencil, while the second was neatly printed out on a computer.

The crude map was hand-drawn by my friend, Jon, who knew the best and only correct route. This is like the Lord Jesus who made us by His hand, who lived here in this world and who knew the path we should take to get saved. We can have perfect confidence in Him to guide us aright.

My friend who lived there had drawn an accurate way to his house. But the route on the map made by the computer looked shorter and more inviting. Such maps can deceive us, as in my case. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man” (Proverbs 14:12). In Corning, California, McLane Street does not go through. I had never been to Jon’s house before. It was dark, I got lost, and I didn’t know where to turn for help. When we get right with the Lord, He can quickly reveal how His way is best. When we find we have missed God’s way, the best thing we can do is to call for help. “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

All I could do was to phone my friend, who told me to just stay where I was. Then he would send his son Joe for me, who would lead me to the house! Even so, the Lord was sent right where we are in all our distance from God. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). We little realize how we have offended God by becoming sinners and needing to be saved. Now all I had to do was wait until Joe came. I followed Joe’s taillights, even as the Lord Jesus is the light of the world. A warm welcome awaited me.

The map made by a computer is a picture of the world as a big mechanical structure with all kinds of input from men’s minds. It includes all kinds of interesting places to go, including restaurants and lodging. But it failed to show me the best way to my friend’s house.

Also regarding maps, a map is not of much value until we find just where we are on the map. Then we can use it to show us the best route to our destination. The Lord’s map, the Word of God, shows us just where we are — lost in our sins (Romans 6:13). And then it shows us the way to be saved through faith in Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

The Unchanging Word

Feelings come and feelings go,

And feelings are deceiving;

My warrant is the Word of God —

Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned

For want of some sweet token,

There is ONE greater than my heart

Whose word cannot be broken.

I’ll trust in God‘s unchanging Word

Till soul and body sever,

For though all things shall pass away,

HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!

Martin Luther

An Unconditional Invitation

All shapes and all sizes,

Every color and race,

From all kinds of homes,

And from just every place—

The rich and the poor, Their need is the same— And for all such as these The Lord Jesus came!

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Waiting and Watching

It is not for a king we are longing

To make the world kingdom His own;

It is not for a judge who shall summon

The nations of earth to His throne;

Not for those, though we know they are coming,

For they are but pictures of Him

Before whom all splendor grows dim.

We wait for the Lord, our Beloved,

Our Comforter, Master and Friend;

The substance of all we have hoped for,

Beginning of faith, and its end;

We watch for our Saviour and Bridegroom,

Who loved us and made us His own;

For Him we are looking and longing —

For Jesus, and Jesus alone!

Wake Up

Some time ago an express train in England ran into a commuter train. No one was seriously injured, though the line was blocked for six hours. On the express train a doctor slept right through the accident. When the guard woke him, his first question was, “Who put out the light?” Glancing up, he saw that the roof of his compartment was missing.

Another passenger was found fast asleep in his berth some hours after the damaged train had been shunted onto a siding. As a reporter said, “It is wonderful what some people will sleep through!”

It certainly is. Some people have been fast asleep all their lives — spiritually asleep. They sleep on, unconscious of their need, their danger, and the serious consequences of the sins they have committed.

God has spoken to them. Trouble has been allowed to come to them: sickness, bereavement, business difficulties, financial loss, disappointments, family trials — all these have been sent to wake them. Still they sleep on.

Earthquakes shake the world; man’s great systems go crashing into nothingness; the coming of the Lord draws near, but still they sleep and dream of peace and prosperity. Terrible sleep! Fatal slumber!

Are you awake? No doubt you are wide awake to your interests in this life, but at the same time you may be fast asleep to the great realities of eternity.

Some people talk in their sleep. Talking during physical sleep is common; talking during spiritual sleep is even more frequent. One person says he is going to turn over a new leaf and try to live a better life. He is “talking in his sleep.”

Another declares that he has never done any particular harm, and therefore he supposes that it is all right with him. He, too, is “talking in his sleep.”

A third tells us that though we may be traveling by various routes, we are aiming for the same goal, and it does not matter what a man believes as long as he is sincere in that belief. Another instance of “talking in one’s sleep.”

Are you awake, really awake, to your need of salvation? Can you say, “I know I am awake. I know where I am going — I am on my way to heaven, a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus!”

Or are you, like the sleeping passengers on the train, still asleep and unconscious of your position?

Time is passing — life is passing — there is no time to lose. WAKE UP!

Warnings

Warnings are usually given as cold, hard facts: “Don’t try to swim there; the riptide is dangerous.” Or: “Don’t try to drive tonight; the roads are too icy!” They often seem like threats to having fun, but they are meant in kindness. So we say, “Thank you,” and go our own way to “do our own thing.” Sometimes we can say later: “I wish I had listened!” Sometimes we are not given the chance.

That was the case with a carload of teenagers recently. One girl in the group used her cell phone to call her sister. She told her she was going riding with friends. The driver was known for speeding. Her sister warned: “You shouldn’t! He drives too fast!”

But the excited 16-year-old
assured her that “nothing is
going to happen!”

What did happen?

Less than thirty minutes later the four young people in the car met instant death as they sped past a stop sign and into an intersection at the same time as another car.

A friend of one of the girls said, “She texted me to say she would be home really shortly” — just before the crash.

So many, many more are being warned every day — warned by God Himself in His Word, the Bible! “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). There is no promise of a longer life even to those who are young. This very day there will be many young, healthy, full of life, hopes and dreams, who will hear a warning voice, but answer, “Nothing’s going to happen!”

You have been aware of this warning, but feel as though it can’t happen to you. Oh, listen, for the love of your immortal soul, LISTEN!

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

Don’t neglect; don’t reject; don’t ignore the warning

What Then?

Someday you will come to the end of this life,

You know not how or when,

But the summons will come, and you must go;

Rejector of Christ — what then?

You have turned your back on the Crucified,

Rejected His nail-pierced hand;

What then will you do at the Great White Throne?

For there in judgment you’ll stand.

Too late to cry for the mercy of God,

When death has silenced all plea;

Today you must answer: “What think you of Christ?”

What will your answer be?

Today is the day of salvation, my friend;

Death closes the door to delay;

You may find tomorrow will be too late —

Then why not accept Him today?

What's Man Worth?

Naturalists say man is a product of a long evolutionary process. Marxism says he has value only as he produces. Secularism says he is important only as he achieves — and his importance is measured by his achievement. Materialism says he is worth what he possesses. In any case, man has no value in and of himself — life has no meaning apart from usefulness — and there is no such thing as human destiny.

According to the Bible, man is of intrinsic worth. He was created by God in His image — to be loved by God — to be a friend of God — to enjoy Him forever! Man, therefore, is of infinite value. He is of such value that the Son of God left heaven and came to earth to die on a cross so that man could live forever in his heavenly Father’s presence and blessing.

The measure of the value of one person — any person — is the measure of Christ’s sacrifice. To God, there is no such thing as an unimportant person. Each individual is precious — eternally precious to God.

“I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Thy works: and that my soul [knows] right well. My substance was not hid from Thee when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect: and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:14-16).

When My Ship Comes In

“When my ship comes in” —it is an appealing thought, isn’t it? Probably most of us have sometimes enjoyed thinking of that mysterious ship bringing in unexpected riches — a legacy, a “find,” a bonanza — how truly “human” the thought is, unlikely though it may be and how against our common sense. But the natives of some of the islands of the South Seas were just overwhelmed by the ships they saw. In the days of World War II, when the United States went all out to win the “war in the East,” enormous quantities of materials, both for war and for the necessities of daily living, were rushed to the war zones.

In the islands of the East there was much that was new and unknown by the native peoples; they were rushed from a very primitive lifestyle into the latest of technology, and so much of it! It was no wonder that they were sometimes confused by all that they saw. Then the natural questions rose: Why do these people have so much, and we have so little? It’s not fair!

Soon they became convinced that they were equally worthy, and so, of course, soon ships should be steaming to the ports so hastily built for the war with equally wonderful cargoes for them. They stopped working (which is easy to do in a tropical land) and awaited the arrival of their “cargo ships.” So the Cargo Cult was born.

It is possible that there are some even today who are still waiting for their ships to come in with a rich “cargo” for them. They are not alone in their fantasies; many, many people are hoping to see “their ship come in,” and sometimes it does! Seldom, though, does it bring a cargo of blessing. Recently a young man won the lottery: His ship came in!

Immediately following the “ship,” hordes of people came trying to get a share of the money. So many fortune seekers came that the original recipient was heard to say, “I wish I’d never won!”

Worse was to come. A “trusted friend” was so hungry for that money that he connived to get it, and then, to cover his theft, he murdered the man who trusted him. A sad, sad ending.

The Bible warns us of the danger of riches, but it also encourages us to have our treasure in heaven. Does that mean new cars? Bigger houses? Better jobs? Basically, money? No, no, NO!

The promise is for true riches, riches laid up for us in heaven, where there is neither “moth nor rust,” and thieves cannot “break through nor steal.”

Isn’t that immeasurably better than “waiting for a ship,” no matter how rich its “cargo” in material possessions? That eternal richness is accompanied by eternal life — life forevermore — and even everlasting pleasures. It is no wonder that God asks, “Why will [you] die?”

WHY?

When the Saviour Came My Way

You ask me why I love the Lord;

Well, friend, just let me say:

My life was not worth living

Till the Saviour came my way.

You say I lose so much in life;

Yes, friend, PRAISE GOD, I do;

I lose the sin and sorrow

Which was all I ever knew.

I lose the days spent seeking joy,

The long nights full of tears;

I lose the heavy burdens

Which I carried through the years.

But, friend, I would not have them back

For all that you could pay!

My life was not worth living

Till the Saviour came my way!

The Wild Ride of Demetrius Jones

The Peace River Island Provincial Park in northern British Columbia features over a hundred sites for campers. The Peace River itself is a large, deep, fast-flowing wilderness river with headwaters in the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. On the sunny morning of July 15, a rambunctious, blue-eyed, blonde, three-year-old boy named Demetrius Jones woke up before his grandparents and let himself quietly out of their RV. He was clad only in his sleeping outfit of white underpants and T-shirt.

Eager to start the day’s adventures, he sat down in his red battery-operated toy pickup truck. With a push of the button he activated the battery, stepped on the accelerator, and felt the joy of movement. No one knows for certain how long he drove around the campsites or exactly what path he took. The electric motor didn’t make enough noise to draw the attention of other campers. He eventually found the river’s edge, and either accidentally or on purpose, he drove his pickup truck into the fast-flowing river.

At 7:30 a.m. his grandparents woke up and realized the boy was missing. After frantically searching the surrounding campsites, they called the Royal Canadian Mountain Police for help. Soon a full-scale search was underway. Many campers and boaters volunteered to join the search. They scoured the campgrounds and surrounding area. Not finding little Demetrius on land, they had to face the likelihood the boy had been swept away by the river to his death.

The river did sweep Demetrius away, but miraculously he didn’t drown. After driving into the river, his toy truck turned upside down in the water, and the youngster clambered on top of it. How the boy managed to scramble on top of the toy in the deep river is a mystery. The black plastic tires were airtight, providing buoyancy, and prevented the truck from sinking. The boy positioned himself on the middle of the overturned truck and went for the ride of his life. The current of the river swept the boy along at about the speed of a jogger. Perched precariously on top of the truck for almost two hours, he rode the current of the river around bends and past scenic woods and hills.

Demetrius’s ride continued for twelve kilometers, or nearly eight miles, before the truck got lodged in a pile of floating driftwood. The water at this point on the river was twelve feet deep.

A recreational boater searching the river thought he spotted a bald eagle perched on the drift pile. When he drove closer to investigate, he discovered it wasn’t an eagle at all but the blond hair of Demetrius Jones. Carefully he approached the boy so as not to startle him and cause him to fall into the water. He hauled both the boy and his truck out of the water. He didn’t need to worry about upsetting the boy. Demetrius was not scared by his ride down the river, and he seemed to have everything under control. He was not nervous, frightened or upset. His only concern was that his toy truck not be left behind.

The boy didn’t realize how dangerous his trip down river had been. If the floating truck had tipped over or been jolted with any force, the boy would have been jettisoned into the water and drowned. But the young boy was unaware of his danger and oblivious to the fact that his life was in danger.

Life is like a journey down a river for all of us. But for the most part, as we go through this journey, we remain unconcerned at the depths we are passing over and the dangers that surround us. We are plunged into this wide-flowing river at birth, and then as we grow older, we become more aware of the scenes around us. But what a small portion of the world, swirling around us, are we really aware of. The world isn’t as simple as it first seems, for the invisible, all-wise God is at work behind the scenes. With ceaseless energy and unsearchable wisdom, He works behind the scenes, preserving His creatures, dealing out justice, and showing mercy. He wants souls to trust and love Him.

Such is the river we are travelling down. We are carried past bends and sights of incredible beauty. But we need God’s special help and preserving care because the trip is full of peril. All is not as it should be. The raft we are travelling on has been overturned. The disobedience of our first parents has overturned it. When they disobeyed God, sin and death passed unto all their descendants. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

We live in a world where danger as well as beauty abound. Sometimes we aren’t aware of the dangers, because of the beauty. Nonetheless, dangers and perils exist. Because of sin, our never-dying souls are at risk of being separated from God for eternity. There is a price to pay for choosing to remain ignorant of God and His grace. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This is why it is so important to come to know God through Jesus Christ. The eternal welfare of each soul without Christ is at risk. At any moment they might die and their eternal future would be sealed. Without faith, souls run the continual risk of passing into a Christless eternity.

Thoughts and actions have consequences. The act of rejecting the One sent from God will have the consequence of eternal ruin, while the consequence of a soul’s placing their faith in Christ will be eternal life. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

The Lord Jesus is God’s love-gift to the world. Two thousand years ago the Son of Man was crucified and rose again. It is only through faith in Christ that a sinner can pass from death to life. “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 5:24).

Life is a journey for all of us. Only by trusting Christ will your journey have a safe and happy ending. Before another day goes by, won’t you realize the danger of living apart from the Saviour and come to Him who said, “Him that cometh to Me I shall in no wise cast out” (John 6:37)? 

Will It Pay?

“Will It Pay?”

“What’s it worth?”

“What’s in it for me?”

Common, everyday questions of common, everyday matters. With pencil and paper — or calculator or computer — we work out the answers. But when we are confronted with profit or loss for eternity, the answer can only be found in the Word of God — the Bible. It says plainly that “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7).

“What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). How truly does God say, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Satan uses many ways besides the love of money to keep souls from being saved. He tries to hinder in every possible way the light of God’s good news about the crucified and risen Lord from reaching hearts, but this wonderful light is always shining, though its direct rays may sometimes be hidden by clouds.

“The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ . . . should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Whether it is a good thing, in itself, or a wrong thing that is hindering you, if you have not the Lord Jesus Christ as your soul’s satisfying object, you are being shut out from the enjoyment of the heavenly sunshine. One of Satan’s clouds is overshadowing your soul.

Only through Christ can you secure everlasting gain and escape everlasting loss. It is written, “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

The Wrong Way

The hot Florida sun beat down on the highway, and the hitchhiker trudging along with his backpack looked hopefully at each car that passed. Turning to face the oncoming car, he would hold up a hand-lettered destination sign: “PENSACOLA.”

No one stopped. As each car whizzed past him, he would give his pack a hitch and start on down the road, a hot and weary man.

Why did no passing motorist take pity on him and stop to give him a ride? He was certainly hoping to reach Pensacola—all his efforts were directed to getting to Pensacola — but he was going the wrong way. Pensacola lay 450 miles to the north, and he was walking down the southbound lane. Every step he took, the longer he traveled, the more energy he put into his efforts to reach Pensacola, the farther he was from getting there.

No doubt he thought he was going the right way, but we can only think of the verse in Proverbs: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Travelers journeying on through life — as we all are — must make sure that theirs is not just the “way that seemeth right.” When we ask, “How can we know the way?” the Lord Jesus Himself answers: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

“The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. 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 3:3536).

That is the way. We come to God by believing on His Son. The promise is absolutely sure: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:910). Could the way be plainer than that?

Echoes of Grace: 2010

Table of Contents

Attacked by Rottweilers

The Big Question

The British Sportsman

Choose Well

Daisy

A Dangerous Refuge

The Design That Failed

The Faithful Word

The Fire Extinguisher

For Me?

The Forecast

The Good Samaritan

Gratitude and a Humpback Whale

A Greater Than Lincoln

The Homing Instinct

I Am Ready!

An Impassable Chasm

Instant Access

The Loss of the Mauna Loa

Lost in a Swamp

Miracle Ear & Whispers of Love

Mount Usu, Volcano

A New Family for Katya

Next Time

No Escape

Once Too Often

Out of This Life

Pathan or Christian?

The Pharisee

Pivotal Points in History

The Pretty Little Snake

Procrastination

Profit or Loss?

Questio, and Exclamations of Joy

Rescued on the Race Rocks

Reversing the Flow

Safety: Don't Travel Without It

Salvation's Day

Sin and Its Cure

There's Plenty of Time

Thinking of You With Enchanted Thoughts

A Throw-Away Baby

Two Maps

The Unchanging Word

An Unconditional Invitation

Waiting and Watching

Wake Up

Warnings

What Then?

What's Man Worth?

When My Ship Comes In

When the Saviour Came My Way

The Wild Ride of Demetrius Jones

Will It Pay?

The Wrong Way