It was a scorching hot day in August. The grass was crisp and crunched under their feet as Dennis and his friend trudged up the hill in their neighborhood. They wiped the sweat from their brows as they looked to the top of the hill where they often went to explore and build forts.
Halfway up the hill, they spotted some things someone had left there from the 4th of July celebrations — sparklers and a box of matches. Both boys had been told many times not to play with matches. But on the 4th of July each year, they had lit sparklers and tossed them in the air in the presence of their parents. Surely, they thought, it would not hurt to do one or two now.
Both boys began lighting sparklers and throwing them upward, watching the bright sparks arc through the air, landing on the ground a small distance away. As their eyes traced the path of the second or third sparkler — up and then down to the ground — they saw fire quickly building in each place the sparklers had landed in the tall, dry grass.
Dennis and his friend each ran to a different spot, trying desperately to stomp out the fires. Their little sneakers just couldn’t do the job. As Dennis stomped around the circle of fire, the burning grass just followed around behind him! The circles of fire grew until they all came together into one large, wild and dangerous fire. Dennis looked up to see his friend running down the hill, and he began to run after him.
His heart beating wildly, Dennis glanced back as he ran and saw that the fire was headed toward the yard of someone’s home. He stopped. If he went to tell them, he would get caught. If he ran, the people might have some of their property burned! He had not yet come to know the Lord Jesus as his Savior. He didn’t know that God’s Word tells us, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:3131And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:31)), and, “There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known” (Luke 12:22For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. (Luke 12:2)). But his parents had taught him to know right and wrong, so he turned back to the neighbor’s house.
“Dennis, come on. Run before we are caught!” his friend called out to him. But Dennis kept on running toward the house until he arrived at the back door and knocked.
A woman came to the door. She had her apron on and her hands were on her hips with some flour still on them. As he looked up wide-eyed at her, she looked down, her eyes accusing.
Breathless from his frantic run and because of the stern-looking woman, Dennis shrank with fear. “The ... the field is on fire,” he said.
“And how did that happen?” she questioned, eyebrows raised, as she leaned closer to his face. He could almost feel her breath.
“My friend and I found some sparklers and matches on the hill and lit them,” he said, unable to look her in the eye.
“I know,” she replied. He looked up at her puzzled. “I saw you! I already called the fire department, and they are on the way.”
The fire truck arrived and together Dennis and the stern woman watched as the firemen worked their way up the hill, extinguishing the fire as they went along. At the back of the yard, a man stood. He had a special hat, a badge, and a clipboard.
“Do you see that man over there?” the woman asked Dennis.
“Yes,” he answered timidly.
“I want you to go over to him and confess to him what you did.”
Dennis did as she said. The man was the fire chief. It turned out that the fire chief knew his grandmother, because she owned a restaurant in the area, and so he also knew who Dennis was.
“I want you to go home and tell your parents what you have done. I know who you are and I will be checking on you!” said the fire chief.
Dennis’s heart sank at the realization that this situation was still not finished. He went home to tell his parents what had happened, dreading most of all to tell his father. To his relief, his father was at work, but his mother was home. He told her what he had done, and she told Dennis it was good that he had confessed what he had done and that it was obvious that he was sorry. But she said he had to tell his father when he got home from work. She must have talked to him first, because Dennis was just grounded for a week, which was not as much punishment as he expected. He learned that although he had to be punished, it turned out so much better because he stayed and confessed. And when it was all over, it felt good to know it was all out in the open, and he didn’t have a guilty conscience or have to live with the fear that his parents would find out someday.
The Bible tells us that “he that [covers] his sins shall not prosper: but whoso [confesses] and [forsakes] them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:1313He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)). Things worked out much better for Dennis because he didn’t try to hide what he had done. We all like to cover up our sins, but as Dennis later learned, there is a God who sees everything and knows every sin we have ever done, spoken, or even thought. It is impossible to hide our sins from Him. Sins are the bad things we do, and the Bible tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). Our sins separate us from a God who is holy. Thankfully, God is also love, and His love is so great that He loves us in spite of all the wrong things we have done. He sent His only Son, Jesus, to take the punishment our sins deserved so we can go free. Dennis later came to know the Lord Jesus, God’s Son, as his own Savior. God wants you to confess that you are a sinner and believe on His Son to be saved, too. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and [you will] be saved”
(Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)).
Messages of God’s Love 8/25/2024