The phone rang, and when I picked it up an urgent young voice on the other end said, “Grampa, there’s a squirrel in our house, and Janie and I are here alone! Mom and Dad are out shopping!”
“Are you sure it’s in the house?” I asked.
“Yes! We saw it coming down the stairs, and when it saw us, it ran back up the stairs!” explained Ellen.
“Well, shut yourselves in a room, and I’ll come right out,” I reassured her.
I drove the eight miles out to my son’s house, and when I got there I was greeted by two wide-eyed girls—Ellen and her younger sister Janie. So we three began our search, going from room to room. We started in the bedrooms and ended in the basement, but there was no squirrel to be found. If there really was a squirrel in the house, it was well hidden.
You know, boys and girls, we have a hidden enemy whose name is Satan. He is a liar and tempter, and he never stops trying to lead us into sin. Jesus, the Son of God, came down from His Father’s side in heaven and became a man to conquer Satan. Jesus had to die and then rise from the dead in order to conquer him. Hebrews 2:1414Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14) tells us “that through death He [Jesus] might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Jesus was willing to come to earth for this purpose, because He loves you and wants to free you from being Satan’s captive.
And because I loved my granddaughters and they were frightened, I stayed with them until their parents came home. We told them about the “phantom” squirrel.
Later that evening, relatives, including young cousins, arrived for a birthday party. When someone closed the drapes in one of the bedrooms, the “phantom” squirrel suddenly jumped down from its hiding place behind the drapes. What a wild commotion erupted! The children screamed, the parents shouted, and the squirrel raced down the stairs! Around and around the living room, dining room and kitchen the squirrel raced, with the men right behind it. It even ran across the table, just missing the birthday cake!
Finally, my son dropped a laundry basket upside down over the squirrel and scooted the basket out the door and set the squirrel free. How frightened that little animal must have been as it frantically ran away from those who were trying to capture it. The squirrel did not know that those chasing it only wanted to give it freedom.
God is a God of love, and He sent His Son Jesus down here into this world to go to Calvary’s cross where He suffered and died for us. He rose from the grave, conquering Satan, which opens the way for each one who will trust Jesus to be set free from being Satan’s captive. Jesus said in John 8:3232And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32), “[You] shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
That squirrel ran away from all efforts to save him, and many of us don’t realize we are captives to sin and Satan and on the road to a lost eternity. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). Many of us are still running away from God’s efforts to save us from sin and Satan.
Today, Jesus Christ is holding open His arms of love and saying, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor [are captive in your sins] and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)). Won’t you receive Jesus as your Savior today and be forever free from your sins?
ML-07/30/2017