One time I heard of some children who had a pet deer. They were spending the summer in a cabin in the north woods where there were lots of wild animals—even bears and wolves! The young deer had grown so tame that he would come each day to look for scraps of food that they had saved for him. The children had become so fond of him that as the summer drew near the end they felt very bad at the thought of leaving their playmate of the woods.
Then one day Johnny thought of something that troubled him very much.
“Mother,” he said, “this fall it will be open season for deer hunting, and I'm afraid our deer will be killed! He's so tame now that he won't know enough to hide or to run away from the hunters.”
John's Mother felt badly about it too. “Let's think hard,” she said, “maybe we can think of something to help him.”
Before they left their cabin that summer Mother had thought of something! She had made a bright red jacket for the deer out of one of Jean's old dresses! He looked strange in the little coat but they hoped that when the hunters would see it they would realize that he belonged to someone.
Upon returning the next summer the children were very eager to see if their old friend would visit them again, if he were still alive. And at last one day he did! He was such a fine big buck that they could hardly believe he was their pet. The red jacket was gone but they knew it was because it had broken and torn as he had grown so big during the year, but they felt it had no doubt really saved his life.
When I heard the story I was reminded of the story in the Bible of the Lord's deliverance in Egypt when the death angel saw the red blood upon the doors of those who believed and obeyed God. Would you not like to read that story too? It is found in the second book of the Bible, Exodus, and chapter twelve.
Some day God is going to look for the blood upon our hearts—the blood of the Lord Jesus which He shed for us on Calvary. God told the people in Egypt, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” and in the New Testament He tells us, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sins” (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)). Have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour?