Galatians 6:7
John and his family lived in a farm community. His wife Mary was a devout Christian and she raised their children to know and have faith in God. John on the other hand was a skeptic and did not believe in God, the virgin birth of Jesus Christ or anything spiritual. Often, John would give his wife a hard time about her beliefs, he would mock her religious observances and tell his children there was no God.
"It's all nonsense, why would God lower himself to become a human like us? It's such a ridiculous story," he said.
One snowy day, Mary and the children left for church and as usual John stayed home. After they had gone, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blinding nor' easter. The cold winds blowing, John built a fire in the old stone fireplace and then sat down to relax.
Soon he heard a loud thump, something had hit against the window. Then again, another thump, John went to the window and looked out but could not see anything. He pulled his coat off the rack and ventured outside for a better view of what had happened.
In the field near the house he saw the strangest of things, it was a flock of geese. They were apparently flying to look for a warmer area down south, but they had been caught in the snowstorm. The storm had become too blinding and violent for the geese to fly or see their way. They were now stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter, unable to do more than flutter their wings and fly aimless circles.
John was a compassionate man, and his heart went out to these poor lost geese and he wanted to help them somehow. He thought to himself, the barn would be a great place for them to stay. It is warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm.
So John opened the barn doors for the geese. He waited, watching them, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. Nevertheless, they did not notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. John moved closer towards them, to get their attention, but the geese just moved away from him out of fear.
He went into the house and came back out with some bread, broke it up and made a bread trail to the barn. They still did not catch on. John was getting cold and frustrated, he went over and tried to shoo them toward the barn. The geese quickly panicked and scattered into every direction except towards the barn.
Nothing John did could get them to go to the barn where there was warmth, safety and shelter. They could be saved from death if they just went into the barn... as it was, they would surely freeze to death overnight.
Feeling totally flustered, he exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me? Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm? How can I possibly get them into the one place that will save them?"
He thought for a moment, and realized that they just would not follow a human. He said to himself, "How can I possibly save them? The only way would be for me to become like those geese. If only I could become like one of them, just for a few minutes. Then I could save them. They would follow me and I would lead them to safety."
It was AT THAT MOMENT, he stopped and considered what he had said. The words reverberated in his mind: If only I could become like one of them, then I could save them. At last, John was able to understand God's heart towards mankind... John immediately fell to his knees, right there in the snow to pray!
So many of you have been blinded, and just like the geese, you do not realize that you will die, just outside of the salvation, that God has provided through His Son Jesus Christ. You will die and spend your eternity in hell, wondering why it was so hard to believe there was a God who truly loved you!
A God that loved you so much, He sent His only Son to die for your sins, so that you could not only spend your eternity with Him, but so your life here on earth would be more abundant with love, joy and peace.
I know I've talked a lot about salvation lately... but in my heart I believe there is someone who is struggling to make this decision. This world, educators, and many men will tell you there is no God, they are wrong! Are you willing to lose your soul for their lies?
Right now, you have this moment to make your decision... tomorrow it may be too late. Will you enter into the shelter of Jesus' arms today?