A big storm with strong winds and heavy rain had passed over the area, churning Lake Michigan into tall, wild waves that battered the shore. A day later the rain and wind had disappeared, but the wild waves remained. They crashed over piers and onto waterfront trails.
It was just the kind of day that good surfboarders love. A couple of young men in bodysuits were riding their colorful surfboards on the huge waves outside the city of Muskegon.
A man had walked to a city pier with his dog. The man slipped the leash off the collar so his dog could run free on the pier. The dog took off running and began barking his head off at the waves, as if his barking were making the wild waves dash back and forth. Several times the dog ran up and down the pier just as fast as he could, barking and chasing after the waves.
Suddenly, out of the deep lake, a huge wave, greater and higher than all the others, crashed onto the pier. It knocked the owner of the dog off his feet and drenched him from head to foot. At the same time, the huge wave swept the dog right off the pier and into the crashing waves. The poor dog went completely under the water.
Several seconds passed before the dog’s head bobbed to the surface. Then he had to doggie paddle frantically to stay afloat. The waves all around him were so high that he didn't know which way to swim. Waves crashed over him, and water washed into his nose. Then a lake current caught him and carried him swiftly away from shore. His frantic owner called to him from the pier, but his voice was drowned out by the crashing waves.
The strain of fighting to stay afloat in the rough water soon took a toll on the dog. He was a good-sized dog, and his soaking wet, heavy coat added to his struggle. As wave after wave crashed over him, his doggie paddling grew weaker and weaker as he struggled to stay afloat. He finally quit paddling and then started to sink.
While on the pier, it seemed the dog had fooled himself into thinking his barking was causing the waves to dash back and forth. He may have thought he was in control, when really he didn't even have the strength to stay afloat once he was swept into the water. The dog's foolishness isn't so different from the rest of us. God's Word says, “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 53:11<<To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David.>> The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. (Psalm 53:1)). How many of us have chased after the things of this world with all our might, as if they can give happiness, and have left God out of the picture? And often it isn’t until we are deep in trouble that we’ll turn to God and plead for His help.
Just when the exhausted dog gave up the fight to stay afloat, a strong arm reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Help had come in the nick of time. The strong arm hoisted him onto a surfboard. The tired dog crouched as low as he possibly could, so he wouldn't slip off. The surfer held his arms on either side of the board to keep the dog in place. The other surfer came to help, and together the two men were able to get the waterlogged dog safely to shore where he was reunited with his grateful owner.
God is the one who gives us food, clothing, families, friends and even the breath in our lungs. These things only can be truly enjoyed when they are received as a gift from God. Yet we race through our busy lives, not taking the time to meet with God or His Son, Christ Jesus. The worst foolishness of all is when a person, young or old, feels he doesn’t need the Saviour. This is so sad, because not one person can redeem his own soul or save it from the punishment his sin deserves. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)).
Sin comes in many shapes and sizes, but only one stain of sin is all it takes to keep any soul out of heaven. Until a person realizes he is a sinner and is headed to a lost eternity, he will never know how much he needs the Saviour.
Because the Lord Jesus loves sinners, He came to earth as a man and gave His life at Calvary. The blood He shed has the power to wash the most wicked sinner clean and make him fit for heaven. If you will call to Him, He promises to save you: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:2121And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 2:21)).
Call upon Him and He will lift you out of life's angry waves and will make sure you reach the shores of heaven. The Saviour 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)). The Lord Jesus is an all-the-way-home Saviour. Once He saves you, He promises to bring you all the way home to heaven. Why wait another moment? Call to Him right now. He is listening and waiting to save you.
ML-08/24/2008