“José! José! Wake up!” Mama was calling. “José, wake up and come.”
José woke up and went to his Mama’s bed. He hadn’t been sleeping very well because he knew that she was very ill.
“José,” she gasped, “you must go for Grandma! I’m very sick. Go get Grandma to help.”
José lived in a small village high in the Andes Mountains. José was only a boy, but he knew the way to Grandma’s house, although it seemed awfully long in the middle of the night. He hurried along the shorter path by the riverside because he knew that he must get help for Mama quickly.
Mama was the only one José had. He had no brothers or sisters, and Papa had left them. Yes, Grandma must come quickly and help Mama. Mama was the only one who belonged to José.
He arrived at Grandma’s hut and called, “Grandma! Wake up! Wake up and come now, because Mama’s sick!”
Grandma got up and soon they were both hurrying along the path back to Mama.
Grandma did all she could to help, but it was too late. Early that morning José stood unbelieving as Grandma told him that his dear Mama was dead. How could this happen? Who would be his very own now?
Grandma took José home to her little hut, but even Grandma could not ease the ache in the small boy’s heart. There was no one who loved him like Mama.
Sad to say, José did not know about the kind Savior who loves all little children. He had never heard that God is a loving Father to those who trust in the Lord Jesus. He had never read or even seen God’s precious Word, the Bible, that tells us that the Lord Jesus “took them [children] up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:1616And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:16)). No one had ever told José these things, and his heart was sad and lonely.
Some time later, Papa came to find José. Because Papa had been gone so long, he seemed like a stranger. His message to Grandma was hard for José to hear. “I want José to come with me. I have married again, and I need José to work in the fields. He’s coming with me.” There was no use for José to fight against it. What could a small boy do?
So José left with Papa to go to a new home ... only it did not seem like his home. His new stepmother thought he should work hard. Sometimes he had to work with Papa in the fields, and sometimes he had to care for his stepbrothers and stepsisters.
It was not long before another trouble came into the life of José. Papa was working as a witch doctor. Sometimes he was able to cure sick people, and he demanded to be paid in
strong drink.
It was a very sad life for José. But God was tenderly watching José and planned to show him how great and how tender God’s love really is. But before José was to learn of the greatness of God’s love, he had another very
sad day.
Papa was having success as a witch doctor. But since his pay was strong drink, Papa was often drunk. Finally, one day Papa had a hard time contacting the evil spirits. He drank more and more, but still he could not contact the evil spirits. Papa found that the devil was a very hard master, and he died that day from too
much drink.
What a sad day for José! He was a real orphan now, and his life began to be even more difficult. He was the oldest child in the house, and he had to help his stepmother with all the hard work that Papa used to do. His stepmother did not love him, and she often beat him.
José endured many long, hard days until finally he could stand it no longer. He decided to run away. He would go back to Grandma’s house.
José watched for a chance to escape, and he left. He headed for Grandma’s village. He knew he must get away fast before anyone came to look for him. He went quickly over the dusty trails. But then José heard the clip-clop of a horse. They were coming for him! Where could he hide?
There was no place to hide! The horse was coming closer, so José just ran as fast as he could! Then the horse was beside him, and strong arms swept him up into the saddle.
His stepmother had sent the neighbor to get him. He was taken back against his will for more beatings and more unhappy days.
José felt very forsaken. No one loved him and there was no one for him to love.
José did not know that God had a loving plan for him. God is a loving Father and He wants to have children. He chooses sinners to be washed from their sins and adopted into His family. God sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus, into this world to shed His precious blood for sinners so that we can be welcomed into God’s family.
José lived with his stepmother for several more years, waiting until he was older and stronger to run away. This time he made it. Now he was old enough that José found work in a mining town. It wasn’t long before he was invited to some Bible meetings in that town. For the first time in his life, he heard God’s good news, that God loved him and that the Lord Jesus had died for his sins. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)). José’s aching heart accepted God’s gift, and he was saved. Suddenly, José found that he had a huge family! There were hundreds of believers who told him that they were all his brothers and sisters in Christ.
“We have the same loving God as our Father,” they explained to him. José had joy in his heart that he never thought was possible.
If you were to visit José today, he would tell you that God has done wonderful things for him that he had never dreamed of when he was a sad orphan boy. He knows he has a wonderful home prepared for him in heaven, but God in His love also gave José a home here in this world. He has a lovely young wife and three small children. Recently José said, “I never expected to have a house or a family, but God has given me both.”
God wants to be a Father to you, just as He is for José. He has a wonderful plan for your life, and it all begins with the same good news that brought joy to José. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). Have you received God’s gift? He is waiting to take you into His family. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:11Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)).
Messages of God’s Love 1/14/2024