PHILIP climbed to the second story and looked down again. It was a long way down but he could still see the three faces watching him, and he called again in a loud whisper, “Hold the ladder tight, Daddy,” and the answer was “Go on.”
At the foot of the third story window he looked down again. The ground was a long, long way below him. He could see the three thieves at the foot of the ladder and he could see—or thought he saw—a man,—two men, coming quickly around the corner of the house. The thieves saw them at the same moment and they let go the ladder and ran, up over the fence and across the fields, and the ladder slipped—and fell.
The two policemen picked up from the ground a little broken body.
Again Philip was laid on the cleanest, whitest bed you can imagine, and again he didn’t know anything about it. For days he lay in the hospital, not feeling anything at all, and the doctor thought he would die.
One evening, a new nurse came to the room where Philip was lying, a new nurse with a very white cap and uniform, and a very tender heart. She saw the little boy and did not know who he was, but he was wide awake now and there were deep sad wrinkles in his forehead.
“What’s wrong, little boy,” she asked kindly, “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
“Then what is the trouble?” She tried to smooth out the wrinkles. “Could I help you?”
Philip turned his face away and it was some moments before he answered, “I want to go to heaven, and I — can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” she answered quickly. “The Lord Jesus loves little children. He took them up in His arms when He was here. He loves you, Philip, and He wants to have you with Him in Heaven. Don’t you know that He died for you?”
“Not for me,” said Philip, and the wrinkles grew deeper.
“Yes, for you, Philip. He died on the cross to wash away our sins. Trust Him and He will save you.”
But Philip only repeated sadly, “Not for me. You don’t know how bad I am,”
The nurse was silent a moment, quietly asking God to teach her how to show this little boy that Jesus loved him. Then she opened her Bible, and turned over the pages to the twenty-third chapter of Luke.
“Is a thief bad enough for you, Philip?” she asked, and she wondered why his pale face flushed as he answered, “Yes.”
Then she read the most wonderful story in the world, the story of the death of the Son of God. Do you know the story, boys and girls? Do you remember how they spit in His blessed face and pounded great nails through His hands and feet, and even God turned away from His sufferings in those hours of darkness. And even when the pain was worse than we can think of, Jesus turned in lovingkindness to the thief who confessed Him as Lord, and said, “Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.”
When the nurse had finished reading she looked up at Philip. “That thief is in Heaven, Philip. Can you go now?”
“Yes,” he answered, and the deep wrinkles were all smoothed out.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because the Lord Jesus died for me.” His face was full of happiness as he repeated softly over and over, “He died for me, and He loves me, and I’m going to be with Him.”
The next evening, the same nurse came again in her clean white uniform, and her very first visit was to Philip’s room. She found the white covers smoothed evenly over the empty bed, and she knew at once that little Philip had gone to be with Jesus.
Would you like to go to be with Jesus too? Jesus loves you and longs to have you, but you cannot go to Heaven in your sins. They must be put away before you can enter that bright Home above, and that is why the Lord Jesus endured that awful suffering, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, so that He could save sinners like you and me. Will you not believe in Him, as Philip did, and then you will be able to say, “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:2020I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20).
Messages of the Love of God 2/22/1948