Dominic paused at the top of the mountain, feeling the chill in the frosty air as the sun dipped lower in the sky. A quick check of his watch told him that it was almost 4:00, and he decided to call it a day. He’d had a great time snowboarding down the snowy slopes, but now it was time to quit. Since the ski lift was nearby, he made a quick decision to get on it and ride down the mountain.
All was well for a short time as the ski lift moved downwards towards the foot of the Austrian mountain and the warmth of the ski lodge in Hochzillertal. But then, unexpectedly and suddenly, the ski lift came to a complete stop. The ski operator had shut down the lift, not realizing that far above him Dominic was still in the lift and only partway down. Suddenly Dominic found himself in a quiet lift that was no longer moving. It was only -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit).
Dominic shouted for help, but the engine noise of distant snowmobiles drowned out his cries, and no one heard him. He thought about jumping down to the ground below but figured he might break both legs jumping from such a height, and then he would probably freeze to death. There he was, suspended far above the snow-covered slope, shivering with the cold, and he did not have a cell phone. A sign had been posted at the top of the lift that said it was not to be used for downward trips. If only he had paid attention to that warning message!
Do you know that God has posted a warning to us? The Bible says, “There is a way that [seems] 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 think the right way to get to heaven is to try to be good or to go to church faithfully or to be kind to people and not harm anyone. But the Lord Jesus tells us that this is the broad way that leads to destruction. He has made a way, the only way that leads to His home in heaven. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)). The Lord Jesus died to take our sins on Himself and pay the penalty for them. Now He invites you to accept the free gift of salvation that He paid for. You cannot earn it. It is not what you can do but what He already has done for you. All the “being good” in the world is not enough to pay the price for sin. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:55Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5)).
It is a serious matter to ignore a warning. Dominic had read the sign at the top of the mountain, and the consequences had caught up with him. It soon became dark and colder. He placed his hands in his armpits and tensed his muscles to keep warm, but he began to grow colder and numb and was falling asleep. He began to realize that he would freeze to death before help could come in the morning. What could he do?
He thought of the money he had brought with him. He could not spend it now, and it would not be of any use to him if he died. He was only 22 years old, and he did not want to die! Then the thought came to him that if he could make a little flame of fire with that paper money, maybe someone would see it and wonder why there was a flare of light on the darkened ski lift. So he found his lighter and started to burn what he carried with him. First he set fire to a paper tissue. Then he burned some business cards and restaurant receipts and finally came to his paper money. That money had seemed important to him only hours before — now only one thing mattered. By destroying it, could he save his life?
Carefully he brought the flame of the lighter to his first piece of paper money — a Euro bill. It caught fire, and for a few minutes there was the warmth and a little light. Would anyone see it? But no one below noticed, and Dominic was still trapped and shivering in the icy darkness. Soon he burned another. One by one he burned the bills, until a total of €100 (about $135) went up in flames. At last only one bill was left. He lit it carefully.
Just at that moment, a snowmobile driver going along on the dark mountain below spotted the tiny fire. “How strange,” thought the man, and he decided to raise an alarm.
It was another thirty minutes before the right people could be contacted and rescuers could reach the lift. Dominic was finally freed at 10:30 p.m. He was treated in the hospital for hypothermia and able to go home later that same night. Although his money was gone, his life had been saved.
Do you think money will help you get into heaven? No amount of money in the world can buy you salvation. Dominic was saved because he chose to burn up his money and because someone noticed. The Lord Jesus does not want your money, but He does want to rescue you from your sins and save you from a lost eternity. He loves you and gave His life to save you, and now He invites you to accept His gift. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)).
ML-01/08/2012