Darren, Melissa and Bill were driving home one night when they saw a car swerving all over the road and even over lawns. The three decided to call for help and then follow the car until the police arrived. They realized that whatever the driver’s problem was, he could possibly swerve into oncoming traffic and seriously hurt someone, including himself.
They quickly made the call, then followed the car at a safe distance until it stopped . . . right on the railroad tracks! The driver looked as if he had gone to sleep. Darren and Bill were trying to decide if they should pull the man out of his car since commuter trains often run on those tracks. But before they got to his car, the driver suddenly started to drive away.
The three teenagers realized the driver was in real danger, and they cared enough to help him. They couldn’t save him but called police who could. Many of you reading this story have trusted in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. All of you at one time traveled the very dangerous roads of a sinful life. A friend or relative who cared about you may have been watching and praying for you as your life of sin took dangerous turns. And at some point that caring friend or relative, who could not save you himself, told you about the Saviour of sinners. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, 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)).
A police car was waiting down the street and recognized the two cars from the descriptions Melissa had given over the phone. The police car moved right in behind the swerving car and turned on the siren and flashing lights. The driver got scared and drove faster to get away. He ran over a curb, knocked over a small tree, and finally stopped with the car wedged between a light post and a fire hydrant. His car was all smashed up, but he was not injured.
The police found insulin bottles on the floor of his car. This told them that he had the disease called diabetes. It also told them that his driving behavior was due to the fact that he was overdue for his medication. They immediately had a paramedic give him his life-saving medicine. He would have died without it.
The man who was acting as if he were intoxicated was actually suffering from a disease that could have taken his life that night if Darren, Melissa and Bill had not cared enough to help him. You and I have friends and relatives who are on the dangerous roads of a sinful life. Do we care enough to warn them that they are headed for an eternity of everlasting punishment for their sins? Do we care enough to tell them of a Saviour who loves them and died to save them from that awful eternity? The Lord Jesus certainly cares about them, for the Bible says, “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
ML-10/19/2003