Poor fellow! He climbed on to the bus beside me with difficulty. His head was bandaged, his jacket torn, and he had bloodstains on his shirt and pants. Turning to me, he said, "What's the good of living if you don't have fun?"
I didn't tell him that it was evidently the day after the fun with him now. I simply changed his remark to: "What's the good of living if you don't have Christ?"
He answered, "Oh, I know all about Christ. I used to be one of the pillars of our church, but it was a stodgy place—no fun at all."
"Yes," I replied, "and you might easily be such a pillar still, and never know Christ. It is trusting Him as poor, lost and helpless sinners alone that saves us. When we trust Him He then tells us to follow Him. This means to walk in His ways and do what is pleasing to Him."
"You're right, I know you're right. But I've just got to have some fun, and I don't care what happens to me anymore as long as I have fun."
"Yes," I said, "that is the way Satan deceives us. First he tempts us into sin, and then hardens us by it, so that we don't care. But think of the grace that brought our Lord Jesus down to save us, and how He now offers us eternal salvation through His death on the cross."
In the few remaining minutes of our ride together I tried to persuade him to turn from his sins to Him who says, "Thou hast destroyed thyself; but in Me is thine help." Hos. 13:9.
The world has "fun" in it — "pleasures of sin for a season" — but at the last it "biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder."
On the other hand, there is better than "fun" in Christ our Lord, even "fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore."
Two calls are being heard in the world: one, the voice of wisdom, saying, "0 ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.... For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate Me love death." Prov. 8:5, 35, 36. The other voice says, "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell." Prov. 9:17, 18.
Take your choice. Which voice will you answer? Which course will you follow? Which end will you come to?
Be wise, then. Listen to God's gracious call. May your choice be not that of fun and "pleasures... for a season," but to be filled with "joy and peace in believing."