When I met Randy, he was sitting
on a park bench in Great Falls,
Montana. He was holding a bottle of
beer and looked totally miserable.
I listened to his story. When he was
quite young, he had lost his sister in
a tragic accident. For him, alcohol
was the only way he could escape his
sorrows. His drinking soon turned
into a terrible habit. He began to steal
to support his addiction. Now in his
40s he was homeless, without a job,
and rejected by those he loved. His life
seemed so hopeless.
Do you ever feel that way? God
wants to meet you in your struggle
with the sin that controls you. You
may not have an alcohol problem, but
you do have a sin problem! We all do.
If you realize you are without
strength and in need of forgiveness,
why don’t you look to the Saviour
who took the punishment for your
sin? Without Him, there is no hope
for eternity and no power in this life
(
Romans 5:6).
That night, Randy was invited to
a tent meeting where he heard that
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners” (
1 Timothy 1:15). He took his
place as a guilty sinner and by faith, quietly trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as
his Saviour. After the meeting Randy
joined us as we sang some hymns.
Those songs had a personal meaning
for him, because he had experienced
God’s amazing grace in salvation. He
was no longer lost, but now was found
(
Luke 19:10).
My friends took Randy to a hotel,
because he didn’t have anywhere to
go. We didn’t hear from him for two
days, and wondered how he was doing.
On the third day, we saw his name
in the obituary column in the paper.
That night in his hotel room, Randy
had had a massive seizure that took
his life. He had entered eternity. I
am confident that I will see Randy in
Heaven, because of God’s promise to
each person who trusts Christ as his
personal Saviour.
“He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and He that believeth not
the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of
God abideth on him” (
John 3:36).
What have you done with God’s
Son? Have you rejected opportunities
to hear and obey the gospel? Please
do not harden your heart to God’s
love. You do not know what may come
tomorrow (
Proverbs 27:1).