It was just after midnight. The phones were still ringing as the fire truck pulled out of the station. It headed downtown in the cold 30-degrees-below-zero darkness. This was no false alarm: thick smoke was already rising over the streets. The little mining town had had its share of fires. Here was another one which by morning would burn down three stores before local and area firefighters could control it.
Rocky had his air pack on even before the fire truck pulled up to the video store. Henry put on his air pack and quickly followed Rocky and his hose line deep into the smoke-filled store.
It was hot and black. The water didn’t do much. “We’ve got to get out of here!” Henry called to Rocky. It was too hot to stand. Crawling on hands and knees and following the hose line, they started for the door.
Reaching the door, Henry realized his friend wasn’t with him. In the smoke and heat behind him, he heard the alarm on Rocky’s air pack—only 3-5 minutes of air left. Where was he? In the blackness Henry heard thumping and yelling.
Henry said later, “I was mostly thinking about myself. My alarm had gone off, and I knew I had to get out of there!” Instead, he went back in.
Rocky had bumped into a counter and had let go of the hose. Out of air and confused in the black, smoky heat, he was lost. But now he held onto the leg of his friend as they both crawled out to safety.
In moments, Rocky, now unconscious, was in a police cruiser being rushed to the hospital to treat his burned face and lungs. It would be several weeks before he would see his saving friend, Henry.
The fire chief said, “Henry risked his life. The odds were probably against his making it.”
The Bible says, “For a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-87For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7‑8)). Yes, it takes courage to risk your life for a friend. But stop and think of the love of the Lord Jesus. He gave His life for His enemies—sinners. That includes you and me. We are lost, in darkness and in great danger. Our time is limited as well, and the alarm certainly has sounded. Thank God there is One who loved us so much He was willing to take the punishment for our sin when He died on the cross. We could only perish in our sins if He did not save us.
Have you really thought about your helplessness and danger? The One “who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:44Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: (Galatians 1:4)) is reaching out to you. Will you follow Him?
ML-06/11/2017