Have you ever tried to walk on ice? It can be fun for children to slip and slide, but it also can end up in a bad fall. Older people walk very carefully on ice so they don’t slip and fall. What if you had four feet, like a deer, to keep from slipping instead of just two?
It was a cold day when Mark spotted an unusual sight across the small lake that he could see from his backyard. There was a large deer out on the thin ice, and he was having a really difficult time. When the deer tried to walk on the ice, his legs went out from underneath him, and he landed with his four legs spread out to the side. It was upsetting for Mark as he watched the deer try several times to get up and walk, and each time he went down on the ice again. Mark knew that if he kept trying to walk on the ice, the deer could easily be hurt. Soon Mark’s neighbors were also watching the large deer’s struggles, and then someone called the local volunteer fire department for help. It was a dangerous situation. The ice around the deer was very thin, and to add to that, they all had their own ideas how the rescue should be handled.
Falling on ice is always dangerous, but there is a much greater danger for boys and girls and grown-ups too. If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are in much more danger than that deer. Do you know why? Because you still have the punishment for all your sins ahead of you. Like those people who had different ideas of how to rescue the deer, lots of people have their own ideas about getting rid of their sins. Some say you should do good things, like helping your neighbor or giving money to poor people. There is nothing wrong with doing those things, but that isn’t what the Bible says about your sin condition, and the Bible is God’s book. It says that there is only one way to be rescued from 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)). Many boys and girls like to sing this song that gives the answer:
“What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”
We know there is only one way to be rescued from our sins, but the fire department crew had to try several ways to rescue the deer. First they tried to use a boat with a big motor that could break through the ice. They discovered that even though the ice was thin, it was still too thick to allow the boat to move. The next idea was to use an amphibious vehicle, one that could go on land or water. They would drive past the deer, breaking the ice to allow the deer to swim to shore. That also failed! By now it was dark, and the rescue attempt had to be stopped. The deer would be on the ice for the night.
How good to know that once we accept the loving Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, He will never leave us. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)). That’s a promise that He will be there to love and care for us no matter where we are.
The next morning the fire department crew was back at the lake to try another idea. They wanted to be extra careful that no one would be injured or that the deer would not be hurt. One of the men slowly and carefully went out onto the ice and tied a rope around the deer’s neck while it was down on the ice. The deer remained calm. He seemed exhausted after the many hours of slipping around on the ice. The crew slowly pulled the deer across the ice to the shore, held his horns while they cut the rope, and watched while the deer stood up and walked into the woods. A successful rescue at last!
How simple and easy when the rescue plan was finally figured out. That was not true for our rescue from our sins. Just think about what that cost was for the Lord Jesus—His life! He was nailed to a cross where He died, and then “one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:3434But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:34)). That is what He suffered to rescue you. Have you accepted Him as your very own Saviour?
ML-04/21/2013