A young Zambian mother brightly confessed the Lord as her Saviour. She became a new creature (new person) in Christ. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:1717Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The heathen religion in which she was brought up did not interest her anymore. Now she worshipped the true God who created the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in them. She now believed that He is the One who sends the sunshine and rain to make the crops grow.
However, there was something that really bothered her. It was something she had done before accepting the Lord as her Saviour. She had thrown her little baby into the river. Why would a mother do this to her child?
According to the law and custom of the tribe (which could not be broken), a child who got its first tooth in the upper jaw, instead of the lower jaw, had to be killed. The tribal law said that such a child had an evil spirit.
It was a very hard thing for that mother to do, because she loved her baby very much. Still, there was no other way out. The neighbors kept warning her day after day that she had to do it. They said it would cause much harm to the village people if she did-not, so she finally gave in.
Before she was saved it was a matter of obeying the tribal law. Now that she knew the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour, it seemed like a terrible sin. That is the reason she came to the missionary’s village—to find out if it was too great a sin for the Lord to forgive.
Although the missionary was sad to hear what the mother had done, he was able to comfort her from the Bible, the Word of God. He showed her that the Lord Jesus loved sinners so much that He shed His precious blood to wash away all their sins.
It was a comfort to this mother to learn that she was forgiven. Although she still missed her child, the heavy burden was lifted. She knew her child was safe in heaven, and that she would meet him there one day soon.
ML-12/13/1981