The Peace River Island Provincial Park in northern British Columbia features over a hundred sites for campers. The Peace River itself is a large, deep, fast-flowing wilderness river with headwaters in the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. On the sunny morning of July 15, a rambunctious, blue-eyed, blonde, three-year-old boy named Demetrius Jones woke up before his grandparents and let himself quietly out of their RV. He was clad only in his sleeping outfit of white underpants and T-shirt.
Eager to start the day’s adventures, he sat down in his red battery-operated toy pickup truck. With a push of the button he activated the battery, stepped on the accelerator, and felt the joy of movement. No one knows for certain how long he drove around the campsites or exactly what path he took. The electric motor didn’t make enough noise to draw the attention of other campers. He eventually found the river’s edge, and either accidentally or on purpose, he drove his pickup truck into the fast-flowing river.
At 7:30 a.m. his grandparents woke up and realized the boy was missing. After frantically searching the surrounding campsites, they called the Royal Canadian Mountain Police for help. Soon a full-scale search was underway. Many campers and boaters volunteered to join the search. They scoured the campgrounds and surrounding area. Not finding little Demetrius on land, they had to face the likelihood the boy had been swept away by the river to his death.
The river did sweep Demetrius away, but miraculously he didn’t drown. After driving into the river, his toy truck turned upside down in the water, and the youngster clambered on top of it. How the boy managed to scramble on top of the toy in the deep river is a mystery. The black plastic tires were airtight, providing buoyancy, and prevented the truck from sinking. The boy positioned himself on the middle of the overturned truck and went for the ride of his life. The current of the river swept the boy along at about the speed of a jogger. Perched precariously on top of the truck for almost two hours, he rode the current of the river around bends and past scenic woods and hills.
Demetrius’s ride continued for twelve kilometers, or nearly eight miles, before the truck got lodged in a pile of floating driftwood. The water at this point on the river was twelve feet deep.
A recreational boater searching the river thought he spotted a bald eagle perched on the drift pile. When he drove closer to investigate, he discovered it wasn’t an eagle at all but the blond hair of Demetrius Jones. Carefully he approached the boy so as not to startle him and cause him to fall into the water. He hauled both the boy and his truck out of the water. He didn’t need to worry about upsetting the boy. Demetrius was not scared by his ride down the river, and he seemed to have everything under control. He was not nervous, frightened or upset. His only concern was that his toy truck not be left behind.
The boy didn’t realize how dangerous his trip down river had been. If the floating truck had tipped over or been jolted with any force, the boy would have been jettisoned into the water and drowned. But the young boy was unaware of his danger and oblivious to the fact that his life was in danger.
Life is like a journey down a river for all of us. But for the most part, as we go through this journey, we remain unconcerned at the depths we are passing over and the dangers that surround us. We are plunged into this wide-flowing river at birth, and then as we grow older, we become more aware of the scenes around us. But what a small portion of the world, swirling around us, are we really aware of. The world isn’t as simple as it first seems, for the invisible, all-wise God is at work behind the scenes. With ceaseless energy and unsearchable wisdom, He works behind the scenes, preserving His creatures, dealing out justice, and showing mercy. He wants souls to trust and love Him.
Such is the river we are travelling down. We are carried past bends and sights of incredible beauty. But we need God’s special help and preserving care because the trip is full of peril. All is not as it should be. The raft we are travelling on has been overturned. The disobedience of our first parents has overturned it. When they disobeyed God, sin and death passed unto all their descendants. “Wherefore, 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 5:1212Wherefore, 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)).
We live in a world where danger as well as beauty abound. Sometimes we aren’t aware of the dangers, because of the beauty. Nonetheless, dangers and perils exist. Because of sin, our never-dying souls are at risk of being separated from God for eternity. There is a price to pay for choosing to remain ignorant of God and His grace. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). This is why it is so important to come to know God through Jesus Christ. The eternal welfare of each soul without Christ is at risk. At any moment they might die and their eternal future would be sealed. Without faith, souls run the continual risk of passing into a Christless eternity.
Thoughts and actions have consequences. The act of rejecting the One sent from God will have the consequence of eternal ruin, while the consequence of a soul’s placing their faith in Christ will be eternal life. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:33And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)).
The Lord Jesus is God’s love-gift to the world. Two thousand years ago the Son of Man was crucified and rose again. It is only through faith in Christ that a sinner can pass from death to life. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)).
Life is a journey for all of us. Only by trusting Christ will your journey have a safe and happy ending. Before another day goes by, won’t you realize the danger of living apart from the Saviour and come to Him who said, “Him that cometh to Me I shall in no wise cast out” (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37))?