A MAN in this country once found a baby snake. He made a pet of it. He took it, and fed it and trained it to do many things.
The snake would come when he whistled. It would eat from his fingers. It would coil around his arm, and let him stroke its head. One day he took it to town to show some of his friends. They marveled at its gentleness, at the way it would coil itself around his arm, how it would come when he whistled and how it would eat from his hand. He took his pet back home with him.
When he got home, suddenly without any warning, the snake became angry. Quicker than lightning that pet buried its fangs in the man’s arm. Quickly he pulled it from his arm and hurled it to the ground. But it was too late! In a few hours the poor man was dead. In one quick instant the serpent had written his death in his own blood.
Dear young friends, that snake reminds us of the deadly effect of sin. And how many there are who are playing with sin. Satan blinds their eyes so that at first it appears harmless. He hides from their eyes the warning of Scripture, the “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)).
We have all been bitten by sin; for “as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:1212Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12). But God’s good news is that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)), and “that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). The Lord Jesus took the sinner’s place on the cross; He bore sin’s penalty. He died that we might live. Those who trust Him as their Saviour are not only delivered from sin’s penalty, but from sin’s power also. “For sin shall not have dominion over you.” Rom. 6:1414For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14). Those who won’t have Jesus as their Saviour will have to bear the penalty of their sins in the lake of fire forever.
ML-09/30/1962