“Hey, Jon. This is your boss from the freight train company. We have a runaway train that needs to be stopped! Can you help?”
It was a sunny spring day in the American Midwest, and the sight of a train traveling past fields and through towns surprised no one. But this was no ordinary train trip - this train had no engineer in the cab of the locomotive!
After the engineer had stepped out of the train in the rail yard that morning, the locomotive started up and pulled out of the yard by itself and picked up speed. By the time it was finally brought to a stop, factories had been evacuated, intersections had been closed, and crews of men had taken great risks to stop the runaway train.
Your life may look normal on the outside. You might even think your life is on the right track. But are you the only one guiding your life? Life is God-given and cannot be controlled by only a human without ending in disaster. Are you trying to run your own life? If so, that’s like a train with no engineer. It won’t work!
At one point, the train reached the speed of fifty-five miles an hour. This was so fast and dangerous that they had made an effort to derail the train away from a populated area. But that effort had failed, and the train sped on.
Jon had worked for the train company a long time and had never heard of anything like this! By the time his crew met the train, it had traveled seventy miles. Jon had been told that the train was carrying hazardous materials. He knew that if the train crashed, a lot of people could be hurt or killed. Another train coming from behind had been able to couple onto the runaway train and slow it down, and so Jon volunteered to try to leap aboard.
As the train swept past, Jon took a few quick steps, leaped up to the step and grabbed the railing with both hands. He was safely aboard! Once he got into the cab, he knew how to stop it.
Jon became somewhat of a hero in the newspapers for being willing to stop the runaway train. He knew that it was risky for him to jump aboard the train, but he wanted the train brought under control before it crashed and hurt anyone.
How about your life? Did you know that the Lord Jesus willingly died on Calvary’s cross so that you could be saved from your sins and live your life on the only track that leads to heaven? He will not forcefully take over your life; He wants you to let Him take over so that your life doesn’t end in disaster. Life is too important to let it be a “runaway” with no controls. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:55Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)).
The runaway train had minor damage from the attempts to derail it. But a runaway life can have permanent damage. A life lived without the Lord Jesus’ saving power and guidance will end with eternal judgment.
Are you willing to let the Lord Jesus be the Engineer of your life and guide you safely to heaven at the end of your journey?
ML-06/09/2002