Did you have a good night’s sleep last night? Where did you sleep? You probably have a soft, comfortable bed with plenty of blankets so you can stay warm in this cold weather. We get so used to the comforts of our homes that we can’t imagine living any other way.
Have you ever slept in a garbage dumpster? Probably not. But did you know that there are actually people who sleep in garbage dumpsters? They are sometimes called homeless, or bums, or hobos. They find an alley with a large garbage dumpster. They lift the lid and climb inside for the night, because they don’t have a home. They cover themselves up with paper or whatever else is in there so they can stay warm while they sleep.
When I was a little boy I was raised in a Christian home. I had a soft, warm bed along with other nice things. As I grew up, I heard the Bible, the Word of God, read in our home. I knew songs like “Jesus Loves Me” and learned verses like John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16): “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
But when I grew up I strayed away from my home. I had no job and became a bum, living on the streets. One night I climbed into a dumpster and closed the double lid over my head. I wrapped myself in newspapers before going to sleep. When I woke up, the sunlight was coming in through the crack between the two lids. I was lying in the dumpster looking at the sunlight as it was shining on me. I started to think, What am I doing in a garbage dumpster? Bible verses started coming to my mind about how the Lord Jesus loved me and how His Father had sent Him to die on Calvary’s cross for my sins. Right then and there in that garbage dumpster I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour. It was just that simple. I was saved because I believed that the blood of the Lord Jesus, which He shed on the cross, had washed away all of my sins.
Well, you know, God is the God of fresh beginnings. I climbed out of that garbage dumpster, got some clean clothes, took a shower and began looking for a job.
I came to one company and filled out the job application. The man looked at my application and said, “What have you been doing all your life? Where have you been? You’ve got no history of work.”
I said I was a bum and slept on the streets. Then I told him how I had gotten saved in a garbage dumpster. And do you know what the man told me? He said, “Well, brother, I’m a Christian too, and you’ve got the job.”
That’s the way the Lord Jesus is. He is the God of fresh starts. He loves us so much. You might wander away, but never forget that God wants you to come back and He’ll take you back, no matter where you are or how far you’ve gone. But the best time to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour is right now when you are young. Young or older, will you accept Him right now?
ML-01/21/1996