It was a perfect day for fishing. Two brothers, George and Tom, waited patiently for fish to bite as they stood with their fishing rods on the shore of Grigg’s Dam in Columbus, Ohio. Both were policemen, and this was their day off. They were enjoying the warm sun on their backs and the relaxation of fishing, but neither of them had caught a single fish. George suggested they try moving to the rocks above the falls. They knew there were more fish in that area, so they moved up to the new spot and cast out their lines once again.
Tom, the younger of the two, had an expensive new fishing rod which he had purchased the day before, and he was quite proud of it. This day he was using it for the first time, and he thought he would pull up the biggest fish with it.
Just as they had hoped, George and Tom started catching fish in the new spot on the rocks. They fished for about an hour, and then they noticed that the water level was getting higher. George packed up his fishing gear to leave, but Tom wanted to stay a little longer. George warned Tom about the rising water, but it did not change Tom’s mind. He was enjoying using his new rod so much that he didn’t want to stop fishing! Worried, but knowing how stubborn his brother could be, George climbed back to shore alone.
It wasn’t too much longer until Tom realized the water was now level with the rocks he was standing on! He could not go back to shore the way George had gone, because the water was now all around him. He was on an island of rocks in the middle of the river.
Suddenly, he heard someone shouting from the shore. It was George. He had seen that Tom’s way back to shore was gone, and he had gone to get help. The fire department had answered the emergency call. One of the men threw a rope across the now-rushing water to the rocks where Tom was trapped.
“Quick! Grab the rope!” they shouted to him above the roar of the water.
Tom reached out to catch the rope using the hand that was not holding his new fishing rod, but he missed. Again they threw the rope to him, and that time he caught it.
“Now, let go of your fishing rod, tie the rope around your waist, and we’ll pull you in!” was the next shouted command.
But Tom would not let go of his new fishing rod. Instead, he held on tightly to the rope with one hand, while holding onto his “treasure” with the other hand.
Tom could not hold onto the rope tightly enough with only one hand, and as they tried to pull him in through the fast-moving water, he disappeared under the water. Soon, he went under the second time, and then he lost his hold on the rope. The third time Tom disappeared under the water he did not come up again.
Is there something you are hanging onto that keeps you from trusting in the Lord Jesus? Maybe it is wanting to choose your own way through life, or something wrong you do, or being afraid of what people would think. You must let go before it is too late, or you will never be saved.
We hope you won’t be like poor Tom who wouldn’t let go. The Lord Jesus is calling to you to trust in Him for your salvation. He came to this earth and died on the cross for your sins. He shed His blood to save you. Now He is a risen Savior, waiting to take each boy and girl who trusts Him to be with Him forever in heaven. Eternal life in the Lord Jesus is the only real treasure. Won’t you take it for yourself, now?
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth ... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven ... for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. But seek ... first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:19-21,3319Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19‑21)
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)). “Seek ... the Lord while He may be found, call ... upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:66Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (Isaiah 55:6)).
Messages of God’s Love 7/9/2023