“…who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” ~Galatians 1:4

I can still remember the day from years gone by. I had joined a local Boy Scout troop at the young age of around twelve or so. How I loved going on those camp-outs and spending time around the campfires, earning an array of merit badges, enjoying good food prepared in the great outdoors and spending time with great friends. On one particular camp-out, our troop was enjoying the coolness of a nearby lake. We were all having a blast swimming, diving off the bank, and just being young boys when all of a sudden my buddy and I heard a distant cry for help. We immediately swam in the direction of where we heard the pleas for salvation. We were stunned and shocked to find one of our own buddies “bobbing” up and down desperately gasping for air while attempting to tread water. I wasted no time in doing all I could to “save” our buddy and miraculously did so by taking hold of him and dragging him to the shore. Upon arrival back to camp we proceeded to tell our Scout Master of what had just taken place and he began to inform us that this was a perfect picture of what we scouts called the “Buddy System”. A safety procedure that requires all youth participants to remain with another youth at all times. Buddies also operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other in their time of need. 

When God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to the earth nearly two-thousand years ago, He was actually sending us a “life ring” for our salvation. Man was drowning in his own dark waters of sin, selfishness  and separation from God which was ultimately taking us out further and further away from the peaceful shores of safety and serenity. Out of God’s great love, mercy and desire to have fellowship with man, He willfully chose to enter into the “dark waters” of this world to rescue us from the grip of the enemy. The Bible tells us in John 10 that “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Jesus offers every man, woman, boy and girl a “life ring” in the form of salvation by accepting Him as Lord and Savior of their lives. Deuteronomy 30:19 says “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” God is ultimately standing before all of mankind with the free will to choose either life or death and He pleads with us to ultimately choose life and live with Him for all eternity. 

I must furthermore add that when Jesus rescues us from the dark waters of this world, He desires that we too continue to reach out when we see others sinking around us. Much like my buddy in the opening story, there are many perishing around us each and every day and we must care enough to reach out and do all we can to extend that same saving knowledge while there is still time. How so very easy it is as portrayed in this image to get so caught up in our daily lives of coming and going while countless numbers around us are continuing to sink further and further away from the foundation of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  God has not saved us friend just so we could live in the sweet by and by. He has entrusted us with the mission of taking His Gospel message into the highways and byways of this world. He gives us opportunities each and every day to share this message in so many different ways but so often I believe we simply just don’t care to the extent that we think we do.

I pray this week friend that each of us would begin to open our spiritual eyes and ears and begin to see and hear more clearly the pleas of those perishing around us before it is eternally too late for them. The choice is always up to us.

For His Kingdom,