Do you think it is possible to be in trouble and not know it? Ian and Jim learned the answer to that question.
One day they rowed their boat to a little island which was only a large rock in the harbor of the fishing village where they lived. They got out of their boat and pulled it up on the island.
What fun they were having playing on their own island! No one else was there that might be bothered by them or tell them to be quiet or in any way spoil their fun.
Boys and girls, and men and women too, like to have their own way. Nobody wants to be told what to do or what not to do. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 16:2525There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 16:25).
Many people think that we can do as we please and that since we only live once we might as well enjoy it. “When you die,” they say, “that is the end of you.” “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes” (Eccl. 11:99Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. (Ecclesiastes 11:9)), is their whole idea. They forget that the end of this verse says, “but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” So they go on living without thinking of God and that some day they must face Him.
While Ian and Jim were playing, the tide rose high enough to make their boat float off the rock. It began to drift away. The boys were stranded on their island, but they did not know they were in trouble. They were so busy playing they never thought about the tide coming in.
“It’s almost time for supper,” Ian said. “We better go back to the shore.”
What an unhappy surprise the two boys had when they discovered their boat was gone. They could see it drifting away. It was out of their reach.
Do you think they went on playing and having fun? No! They began to call loudly, “HELP! HELP!”
People in the fishing village heard their calls for help. It wasn’t long before a motorboat headed out to their little rock island to rescue them and their drifting boat.
Why should anyone live a sinful life without God?
God’s punishment for sin is ahead for all who do not trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Maybe you have not thought about it very much, but it is dangerous to go on without calling to God for help. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:1313For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13).
Just as the villagers on shore came to the boys’ rescue when they heard their calls for help, so the Lord Jesus, who loves you, will hear your call to Him and will rescue you from your sins. He said, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37).
Are you still stranded in your sins? Have you called for help?
ML-04/12/1987