One Saturday afternoon Dad and I were doing chores, and we noticed there were pigeons in the barn. Sparrows are always in the barn, and they make a big enough mess, but pigeons are far messier. So Dad decided to make them feel unwelcome. Using the hose, he sprayed water on the pigeons that were in the barn. That did the job, and they flew out in a hurry. So that was good. But then ... we forgot something very important.
We all have times when we forget things, but some things are just too important to forget! Here’s a question for you: Did you forget to read your Bible this morning before you went to school or to work? It’s important for even children to read perhaps just a few verses from God’s Word or to repeat a memory verse to start the day. And for teenagers and grown-ups, it’s very important to spend time each morning, not only reading God’s Word, but spending some time in prayer with our Saviour before starting the day. That helps all of us do what we know is right and act as Christians should through our busy school days and work days.
After getting rid of the pigeons, the following days were hot, and I noticed the goats had chewed down all the grass in their pen. But I didn’t think anymore about it. On Wednesday evening, when I went to feed the goats their grain, something very strange happened. They would not come to eat the grain! I knew right away something was very wrong! Usually they run to get their grain and gobble it down.
I talked it over with Dad. We both looked at the goats and their babies but couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Finally, I decided to check to make sure the automatic water was turned on in their pen ... AND IT WASN’T! I had turned it off on Saturday so Dad could have more water pressure for spraying the pigeons, and I had forgotten to turn it back on! Our poor goats had NO WATER for four long, hot days! And some of them were mother goats that were nursing their babies!
I had forgotten something very important, and I felt awful about it. Immediately, I turned the water back on, and the goats were very eager to drink. So they could all drink at the same time, we took the goats out of their pen and over to the full, 100-gallon water tank we used for the cows. Instantly, the goats stuck their noses into the water and drank ... and drank ... and drank. They drank the water level down several inches in the tank. No wonder they wouldn’t eat their grain—they were starving for water! Then I knew why they had eaten that grass down to the ground—to get the moisture out of it!
So the story of the thirsty goats has a happy ending. They soon were well hydrated and went back to their own pen where they could begin eating their grain and drink the water from their smaller tank. We were thankful that goats are pretty tough little animals. And I now make sure they always have water.
Are you thirsty to have the matter of your sins settled? Perhaps some of you reading this story have never read a Bible and have never learned about the Saviour of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ. He loves you very much and willingly went to Calvary’s cross where He suffered and bled and died. On that cross, He bore the punishment for the sins of every person who would come to Him to be cleansed from his or her sins. Jesus said, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). That everlasting life in heaven is offered to you right now. Will you accept the Lord Jesus as your very own Saviour while you are reading this? You don’t want to forget something as important as having your sins washed away forever and having the promise of a future, happy home in heaven.
“Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink” (John 7:37).
MEMORY VERSE: “Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” John 7:37
ML-10/04/2015