While I was serving with the 25th Infantry Division in South Viet Nam in 1968, I made a mistake which almost took my life.
One night the army tanks stopped in a large field of tobacco plants. The tanks were arranged in a big circle pointing outward with the infantry soldiers in foxholes in front of the tanks. In this way the tanks could protect the soldiers from the enemy, and the soldiers could protect the tanks from rockets.
The guard schedule was set up, and I was on first guard duty. We settled in for the night. It was a clear night with no noises to disturb the stillness. The huge silhouettes of the tanks loomed comfortingly behind us, and I leaned back and relaxed.
Toward the end of my guard time, I decided to make a bed of the large tobacco leaves which were all around. I found that the broad leaves fit nicely into the ground furrows and made a perfect bed. This was going to be a comfortable night!
As I was just finishing my bed, I heard a noise behind me and turned around to see one of the tank crew sitting on a tank with his automatic rifle pointed right at me! With horror I realized that he had mistaken me for an enemy soldier! Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he realized that I was an American and scolded me for moving away from my position. How thankful I am that God spared my life that night by not allowing the soldier to shoot. And how thankful I am that He also saved me from my sins and gave me everlasting life soon after that happened.
You see, I soon realized another mistake I had made in my life. I had been trying to make a comfortable place in life without getting right with God about my sins. God had sent His Son to die for my sins, and I simply ignored Him and tried to enjoy life in the darkness of my sins. When I realized that death and judgment for me could be right around the corner, I accepted the great salvation that God lovingly offers to every person. Now I am safe forever, because my sins are gone.
Jesus will be coming back soon to take to heaven all those who have accepted Him as their Saviour. Don’t make the greatest mistake of all by neglecting God’s salvation. Something worse than a rifle is pointed at you -it is judgment for your sins. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)).
ML-08/20/2006