“Mew, mew, mew, mew.” Tom and Lisa ran to the spot where the cries of a tiny kitten were heard. There, all alone, they found a tiny ball of gray and white fur with baby-blue eyes just beginning to open. The little kitten was very hungry, and LOST. Apparently the mother barn cat had moved her litter away from the curious eyes and hands of the children, but this little baby had been forgotten.
That night the little kitten traveled to the city home of the family and was fed with an eyedropper. It eagerly licked the milk from the dropper, but it was a very long job satisfying the kitten’s appetite, even with all the family taking turns. This little creature had one great need—a mother to feed and care for it.
Then Tom’s neighbor, Bob, came over and said their cat had a new litter of kittens and maybe, just maybe.... Across the street they ran with the mewing baby to see if the mother would accept a strange kitten in her box. The little kitten was placed on the floor where Mama Kitty was drinking a bowl of milk. She looked at the mewing kitten and moved right over and began licking it with her rough tongue. After this washing, the deserted kitten was put into the box with the other kittens and Mama Kitty climbed in and they all began to eat hungrily. The mother cat settled down to clean all her babies again, including her newly adopted one.
While watching Mama Kitty accept the lost kitten, I was thinking of what a perfect picture this was of how lost and helpless we are in our sins “having no hope, and without God.” Ephesians 2:1212That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12). When we cry, “I’m lost, I’m helpless,” no matter how weak our cry, God hears us. He reaches out in love and adopts us into His family, and makes us one of His very own children. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” 1 John 3:11Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1). Upon reiving Christ as our Saviour we are “washed... from our sins in His own blood.” Revelation 1:55And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).
Just as the little kitten could not feed itself and could not save its own life, so we are not able to save our own souls. There is no list of good things that we can do to save ourselves. The little kitten could not pay for its adoption and neither can we. The kitten could only drink and live, and we can only believe and live. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners (helpless), Christ died for us.” Romans 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8).
ML-12/28/1980