Mukitela wanted the bird that lived in the tree near his African home, and he wanted it alive. He had set traps for it, but the bird was too smart to enter his traps. One day when Mukitela was in a trading store, he saw some fish hooks. Mukitela bought one of these sharp hooks and some strong string and hurried home.
He drove a peg into the ground, then tied one end of the string to the hook and the other end to the peg. After that he baited the hook with a locust. All the while the little bird was sitting in the tree watching what was going on. He wanted that locust very much, for locusts tasted good to him.
As soon as Mukitela had walked away, the bird flew down on the ground. He looked at the locust, but he did not see the fatal hook. He seized the locust and tried to fly away. Alas, the sharp hook pierced him and held him fast. Mukitela came back quickly; he caught the little bird, put it in his bag, and took it away.
Dear young friend, let us learn a lesson from the story of Mukitela and the bird. Satan, the great enemy of our souls, uses all kinds of traps and bait to catch boys and girls, and men and women. He uses many kinds of temptations, things we like to do naturally, the pleasures of the world, and even things that appear to be harmless, to take souls captive.
There is only one who can set sinners free from the snares and power of Satan and sin. That is God’s dear Son. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Tim. 1:15. It was love that brought Him down from the glory to where we were. If He had not loved us so and come to save us, every one of us would have gone down to the pit, to suffer the judgment of God against our sins forever.
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” “That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil: and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” 1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14,15. He bore sin’s penalty upon the cross, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
ML-06/24/1979