I think every boy and girl who reads this paper has either seen an elephant or at least a picture of one, and you know what huge creatures they are.
One day in the city of Denver an elephant was being led along the street to one of the parks in the early hours of the morning. Everything was going peacefully and quietly, as there were very few people on the street. Presently, as they passed one of the side streets, the elephant keeper noticed a milkman just climbing into his truck. The keeper waved his hand to the milkman and shouted to him to please stay where he was and not come any closer. But the sight of an elephant was most unusual to this curious milkman, so he promptly drove his truck up as close as he could and jumped out to have a look at the elephant. In a moment the elephant stopped and waved his trunk in the air. He had smelled the milk and he turned toward the truck. The milkman saw what was going to happen and tried to get back into his truck again but it was too late. The elephant got there first and in a moment his strong trunk had lifted out one of the huge milk cans and dropped it on the road. The lid popped off, and the thirsty elephant had a very good drink of the milk and cream, but this was just the beginning. As you may imagine, an elephant can drink a great deal more milk than you or I, and he was not content with just one can, but reached in again and jerked them out one by one until all were on the ground. In this way forty-five gallons of milk and cream were spilled on the road, to the great dismay of the poor milkman. When it was all over the elephant and his keeper walked quietly away.
I am sure the keeper felt very sorry about what had happened but after all he was not to blame. He had warned the milkman, but his warning went completely unheeded. I think the milkman himself was to blame, don’t you?
His curiosity made him ignore the warning and he lost a good deal of money by the spilled milk. But after all, although I am sure he will never forget the experience, it was not too serious, and I suppose he could make up for the lost money. But there is another warning which I am afraid is very often unheeded.
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?”
Is this not a far more important and serious warning? There is something that you are in danger of losing forever, and it is much more important than milk or money. It is your precious soul. The Word of God tells us of a home in Heaven which the Lord Jesus has prepared for all who will put their trust in Him. But the Word of God also tells us of an awful place called the lake of fire. The Word of God is filled with warnings that would turn our footsteps away from the downward road that leads to destruction, and turn us to the Lord Jesus Christ in whom we can find pardon under the shelter of His precious blood.
Have you ever heeded the warnings from God’s Word? May I ask you to read this one for yourself:
“Time is gliding swiftly by,
Death and judgment both draw nigh,
To the arms of Jesus fly,
Be in time.
Oh, I pray you count the cost,
Ere the fatal line be crossed,
And your Christless soul be lost;
Be in time!”
ML 08/19/1956