A Narrow Escape

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 6
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Johnny was having fun with his toy truck. He was pulling it along behind him and enjoying the noise it made as it went bumpity-bump across the railroad tracks. Suddenly Johnny stopped. His truck was hard to pull across the tracks and at the same time he noticed something scary. A train was coming down the tracks toward him. He knew he should run, but he did not want to leave his truck behind, so he hung onto the string and pulled harder. The train came closer and closer, and still Johnny stayed on the tracks, tugging on his truck.
Johnny was in real danger, and you may be too. A freight train is not about to run over you, but unless your sins have been washed away in the blood of Jesus, you are in danger of everlasting punishment. The Bible warns us that “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)).
Johnny certainly would have been killed if no one had been there to rescue him, but someone did see Johnny on the tracks. Mr. Kelly had stopped his truck at the tracks to wait for the train to go by, and he saw Johnny’s danger. He realized that Johnny needed someone bigger and stronger than himself to save him, and so, leaping from his truck, Mr. Kelly risked his own life to save Johnny. Johnny was snatched off the tracks just in time, while the freight train rushed by, smashing his little truck to pieces.
Are you being just as foolish as Johnny was? He was not old enough to understand that his life was more valuable than a toy truck. Are you risking living forever in heaven with the Lord Jesus because you are afraid of what your friends will think or because you’ll have to give up something? You are old enough to understand that being saved from your sins is much more important than having a few friends or a little fun right now. Heaven or hell is forever!
ML-04/28/1996