After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church’s =
pastor walked to the pulpit, and gave a very brief introduction of his chil=
dhood friend. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit to s=
peak, "A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the=
Pacific Coast," he began, "when a fast-approaching storm blocked=
any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even =
though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upr=
ight, and the boys were swept into the ocean."
The old man hesitated =
for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first=
time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.&nb=
sp;
He continued, "Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the=
most excruciating decision of his life . . . to which boy he would throw t=
he other end of the line. He only had seconds to make the decision.&n=
bsp; The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that hi=
s son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by t=
he torrent of waves.
As the father yelled out, ‘I love you, son!’ he threw =
the line to his son’s friend. By the time he pulled the friend back t=
o the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beyond the raging swells into =
the black of night. His body was never recovered."
By this time=
, the two teenagers were sitting straighter in the pew, waiting for the nex=
t words to come out of the old man’s mouth.
"The father,"=
; he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and=
he could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into an eternit=
y without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son."
"How gr=
eat is the love of God that He should do the same for us." With =
that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled t=
he room.
Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at =
the old man’s side. "That was a nice story," politely start=
ed one of the boys, "but I don’t think it was very realistic for a fat=
her to give up his son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Ch=
ristian."
"Well, you’ve got a point there," the old man repl=
ied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narro=
w face, and he once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn=
‘t very realistic, is it? But I’m standing here today to tell you that THAT=
story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up=
His Son for me."
"You see, I was the son’s friend."
~~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“It i=
s not enough to stare up the steps;
we must step up the stairs “