Grandma and Grandpa were enjoying their first visit to sunny Spain and the beautiful city of Barcelona which overlooks the sparkling blue of the Mediterranean Sea. They had gone to Barcelona with their son-in-law who was on a business trip there. The three of them spent the morning sightseeing in the old city.
When lunchtime came they decided to eat in a restaurant which was at the top of a high building that overlooked the harbor. Grand ma was not fond of riding in elevators, but the view from the restaurant at the top was worth it. The food was delicious, and the three of them ate their lunch slowly as they enjoyed the scenery. Steamers making their stately way into the harbor, sailboats bobbing on the waves, and sturdy little fishing boats coming in with the day’s catch all captured their attention as they ate.
At last the leisurely lunch was finished, and Grandma prepared herself for the unpleasant elevator ride down to the street. Her son-in-law guided her and Grandpa through some doors and into a car which, even before it started, was a little too shaky for Grandma. Suddenly the car began to move, but not down, as Grandma expected. It began to move ahead, and soon the car was out over the Barcelona harbor with nothing underneath but the sparkling blue of the sea. Grandma gasped as she realized she was riding in a cable car. There was nothing to do but enjoy the ride, and soon they were safely at the other side.
As soon as Grandma was safely out of the car, she and Grandpa began to chuckle about the surprise they had had. But I don’t think we could have gotten Grandma to go back into that cable car again, no matter how beautiful the view might be.
Although it is amusing to think of Grandma’s surprise ride, you probably know of people who are so afraid of a certain thing that they will not try it. Some are afraid to ride in airplanes or boats, some are afraid to eat a certain food because they don’t think they will like it. And then there are some boys and girls, and older ones too, who are afraid to make a decision—the decision to be saved. They are afraid to accept the Lord Jesus as their Saviour because of what their friends at school or work might think. They are afraid it might mean missing out on all the fun and good times that their unsaved friends enjoy.
But what these people should be more afraid of is the anger of God against sin. In the Bible God tells us sin must be punished (Rom. 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)), and that each of us will be punished for our sins in that awful place called hell if we will not accept His plan of salvation. God loves us so much He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, bearing the punishment for sin. He is a loving Saviour who wants everyone to be saved. But if His love is refused, then punishment is the only choice left—and the punishment in hell never ends.
You can escape this punishment by accepting the Lord Jesus as your Saviour right now. He went to the cross for sinners just like you and me. There in those three hours of darkness in the middle of the day, He was punished for the sins of everyone who would believe in Him. He has opened the way to heaven for all who will admit that they are sinners and turn to Him for forgiveness. Don’t be afraid to make that decision. He loves you very much and wants to save you. Won’t you make that decision right now?
ML-02/19/1984