Curve after curve the road wound up the mountain, on and on, up and up, and every bend only revealed a further ascent. Motors labored, overheated, stopped to cool off. At last, the top. At the top stood a motor home a big, heavy, luxurious motor home. What a long, hard pull it must have had to get there!
But something was wrong. From the motor issued a wisp of smoke. Another! Then another! Did this signal something worse going on inside?
Another car with a vacationing family reached the top. An experienced driver was at the wheel. He took one as he passed the motor home, and pulling quickly past it, he stopped. Grabbing the fire extinguisher from his own car, he ran back to the motor home.
The smoke was thicker now, and there was beginning to be an ominous flickering in the engine compartment. Quickly the driver tried to activate his extinguisher.
The helpful driver tried; he did his best, but nothing happened. The extinguisher was empty; it had not been charged.
Helplessly, hopelessly, there was nothing to be done but to watch that beautiful motor home burn. And burn it did. Totally.
A fully charged fire extinguisher in the right place and in time could have stopped that disastrous fire. But once on top of the mountain they were five miles from help, five miles from even a telephone where they could call for help. Long before help could come, the fire had consumed everything combustible.
This story reminds us of a story told many, many years ago. The girls set out to go to a wedding. There was little street lighting in those days, and each girl carried a little lamp as we might take a flashlight. Five girls were wise, and took oil with their lamps. Five were foolish, and did not make sure that they had enough.
Soon five little lamps began to flicker and go out, and the five "foolish" turned to the five "wise" to beg for oil. But the wise had only enough for their own lamps; they had none to share. Five foolish girls had to hurry away to buy oil for themselves, and while they were going, the wedding began—"and the door was shut."
It was too late when the emergency arose to have the fire extinguisher recharged. It was too late to buy oil when the wedding began. And it will be too late to seek the Lord Jesus when He comes for His people, for all who are His, and takes them back with Him to His home in heaven.
There will be no time then to cry, "What must I do to be saved?" No time to say, "Lord, Lord, open to us!" It will be forever too late.
The fire extinguisher could have been charged, but it was neglected. The girls could have kept their lamps burning, but they neglected to carry oil. That was all. And how sad it will be if someday you have to say: "I could have been saved, but I neglected to come to Christ."
Soon it will be too late. Don't neglect!