Jonathan is a little boy five years old, and Samson is his playmate. Samson is a big white German shepherd dog, and he is two years old.
Samson and Jonathan play together all the time. Jonathan throws the ball and Samson brings it back to him and drops it.
One day Samson brought the ball back to Jonathan, but he wouldn’t drop it when Jonathan told him to. So Jonathan had a talk with Samson and explained to him that he was supposed to “drop it” when he was told to. But Samson just didn’t want to do what he was told!
Say, boys and girls, doesn’t this remind us of what God has said in the Bible about us and sin? The Lord Jesus says in Matthew 11:28,28Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” But in John 5:4040And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:40) the Lord Jesus says, “Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.” Sounds like we’re not willing to do what the Lord Jesus tells us, either.
Three times Jonathan told Samson to drop the ball, and he wouldn’t do it. What do you suppose happened next? Did Jonathan pull the ball out of Samson’s mouth? No he didn’t. Instead, he put his mouth right up close beside Samson’s ear and yelled, “DROP IT!”
Then Samson dropped the ball. I had a good laugh when I saw that, but poor Samson’s ear must have really hurt!
I thought to myself that sometimes the Lord Jesus has to speak really loudly to us, too. Why? Because in Matthew 13:1515For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Matthew 13:15) the Lord Jesus says, “This people’s heart is waxed gross [without feeling], and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed.”
Oh, boys and girls, don’t close your ears to God’s Word. John 5:2424Verily, 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) says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life.”
Don’t be like Samson; he wouldn’t obey. If you won’t do what God has said in the Bible, the Lord Jesus will have to say to you what He said in John 7:34,34Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. (John 7:34) “Ye shall seek me, and shall not find Me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.”
Jesus, I will trust Thee,
Trust Thee with my soul;
Guilty, lost and helpless,
Thou canst make me whole.