Joe is a volunteer fireman in the little town of Willow, Alaska. Many little towns don’t have a regular fire department. Instead, men who live and work in the town volunteer to take training in fighting fires. When a call comes in reporting a fire, a siren blows in town that calls the firemen. The men leave their jobs and go to the fire as fast as they can.
One night the siren blew in Willow, calling the volunteer firemen. A house was on fire. Joe and Nick, another volunteer fireman, hurried to the garage to get the fire truck. As soon as they got to the house that was burning, they unreeled the big water hose and ran inside with it.
The smoke was so thick that they couldn’t see anything. They had to feel their way carefully.
While Joe was holding the hose he thought he heard someone call for help. He wasn’t sure because of the noise of the big hose spraying water. Then he heard the call again. This time he went to see.
Joe didn’t know that another fireman besides Nick was in the house. Jeff had come in through a window in another room. He was checking to make sure that the people who lived in the house weren’t still inside.
Joe headed to where he thought the call had come from. He still couldn’t see because of the thick smoke, but his foot hit against something. He bent down and discovered it was his friend Jeff ! A big box had fallen on the young volunteer. Joe lifted the heavy box off Jeff, but Jeff was hurt and couldn’t move. Joe hurried for help to carry him out of the burning house.
Jeff knew he was in serious trouble when the heavy box fell on him. He knew he was hurt, and he knew he needed help. He was smart; he called to Joe.
Other people are in serious trouble too, but they aren’t as smart as Jeff. They won’t call for help. They aren’t in a burning building, but they are in a world full of sin, and God says one day He is going to burn it up. God warns us in the Bible that only those who call on Him will be saved. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:1313For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)).
Joe cared enough for Jeff that he ran for help. They got Jeff out and took him to a hospital. And God loves sinners so very much that He sent His Son Jesus to rescue all who will call to Him. “For 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 3:1616For 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)).
The next day when the fire chief went to investigate, he found that the big heavy box that had fallen on Jeff was actually a freezer full of fresh moose meat. A moose can weigh 1200 pounds or more, and a freezer full of moose meat would be much too heavy for a man to lift. But God gave Joe the strength to lift that heavy freezer.
Years ago Joe realized he was a sinner and he called to the Lord Jesus to save him from his sins. God has been helping Joe ever since.
Do you realize you are a sinner in serious trouble? God loves you and wants to save you from your sins. You only need to call.
ML-05/24/1998