A young boy was hurrying down to the sea. It was his half-holiday, and he meant to have some fun. On his way he saw a friend and hailed him.
“Hello! Jack, where are you going?” “Down to the beach; will you come?” “Yes, that I will.”
“Come on, then.”
What fun they had, watching the men loading and unloading vessels; the stears coming and going; the yachts with their white sails glistening in the sunlight.
By and by one said to the other,
“I say, Jack, shall we have a row in one nf those boats?”
This was too good an idea to be given up. True, their parents had sometimes warned them not to go out, unless with shme older and more experienced person; but what of that? A little row could not hurt and they would soon be back, and no one would know.
Ah! boys and girls, it is easy to disobey, but what awful results have come on this world through disobedience!
Well, the boys were soon rowing off. They kept near the shore at first, then, gaining confidence, one said:
“Let us go out farther” and so on they went.
How easy it is to go deeper and deeper into sin when the first step has been taken!
Tired with their exertion, they rested on their oars while the tiny little waves ran merrily by, giving little taps at the side of the boat as they passed.
But these little waves began to run faster, for the tide had turned, and the boat, which at first drifted slowly, was now moving along quite quickly.
When the boys realized how far out they were, they turned the boat, and pulled their best; but wind and tide were now against them, and for one yard they pulled forward, the waters bore them two yards back.
“I can’t pull any further, Jack.”
“But we shall be lost; do try again.” “I can’t, Jack; I can’t row any more; O! what shall we do?”
The two friends looked every way for help, but found none. Holding on to each other they cried and sobbed, and exhausted, laid down in the bottom of the boat. All hope was gone, they were lost, helpless and hopeless.
But God heard the cry of’ the boys as they were rapidly carried away to sea, and He, who is “able to save,” sent a pilot boat that way.
The captain of this big pilot boat saw a speck on the sea and took out his telescope and looked at it.
“Hello!” he said, “there’s a boat adrift.”
The pilot boat was turned around, and sailed down to the boy’s boat. Kind men lifted out the little boys, and bore them back to shore.
Now, you saw how these boys could not, with all their trying, get back. So God tells us that no sinners are saved by their own works. We are lost, but the Lord Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. Helpless, when we were without strength, He died for us; and when we were without hope, He became our hope. Trust Him, He will save you, bring you to His own home, and make you His own treasure.
ML 04/12/1942