Have you ever been told you made it “just in time”? Maybe you were late for supper, and then you came running in from play “just in time.” Or maybe it was more serious. You were told to stop when you had started to run across the street, and you stopped “just in time” before a speeding car went by. It certainly is good to learn to be in time! We sometimes sing a song that tells us we should be in time while the Lord Jesus is still calling us. A Bible verse reminds us that “now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)). It doesn’t say anything about waiting until tomorrow.
Chris will always remember the day he came “just in time” to save Marvin and Jean from sure disaster. Chris was just returning to work from lunch in the small town where he lived. He heard a train whistle and looked over at the railroad tracks and saw the crossing gates were down. Then he spotted a car stopped right on the tracks at the crossing! Now, we all know that to walk or play on railroad tracks is dangerous, and to have your car stop on the tracks is very, very dangerous!
Chris’s first thought was, I’ve got to do something! as he ran towards the car. It was then he saw the elderly couple, Marvin and Jean, sitting in the car. Their car had stalled on the tracks, and Marvin was trying his best to restart it. He had tried again and again, but it would not start. People in cars behind them kept yelling, “GET OUT! GET OUT!” but Marvin and Jean either did not hear them or did not realize their danger.
Too many people have their own thoughts about being saved from their sins. They try their own ways and not the way that God says is the only way:: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)).
Chris ran to the car, got behind it and tried pushing, but it would not budge! He kept trying, but his cowboy boots slipped on the tracks. Then he felt the vibrations of the train as it was coming closer. The horn blared, and the breaks squealed—the engineer saw the car on the tracks and was trying to stop the train.
Chris ran to Marvin’s window and yelled for him to put the car in neutral. Chris stuck the toes of his boots into the track groves so they wouldn’t slip, and then he heaved with all his strength! The car moved about five feet, just in time and before the train rumbled by, missing the car and Chris by inches. All were safe!
It was a whole day later before Marvin and Jean could talk about what had happened. Marvin admitted he and his wife should have gotten out of the car quickly and left it there, but they “simply froze”—they were so scared they just could not move!
Do you know what you should do about your sins that are going to take you into everlasting punishment? The Bible tells us clearly what sinners should do: “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). He is the only Saviour, and no matter what you do to save yourself from the punishment for your sins, it won’t work. You have to do it God’s way since heaven belongs to Him!
The police arrived to check on Marvin and Jean. After the train had stopped, even the engineer walked back down the tracks to make sure everyone was all right. Do you know there are people concerned about you? Maybe your parents or your Sunday school teacher or a friend who knows the Lord Jesus are concerned about your salvation. “The soul that sinneth it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:44Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4)) is a warning, and that is true of everyone who has not accepted the Lord Jesus as Saviour. If that includes you, you are not ready for heaven! Don’t wait until tomorrow or you may not BE IN TIME!
ML-03/02/2014