Emilio and I typically walk our dog Baby Sue each night after midnight. We have strange hours. We both work from home so we can get away with it.Tonight we decided go for a short bike ride in our housing tract after we walked Baby. We went a different way than normal and noticed a strange smell as we were coming up to a home that was on the outskirts of our community. "The house is on fire!" I yelled to Emilio.
Emilio jumped off his bike and began ringing the doorbell profusely. He couldn't tell where the smoke was coming from. "Stay back!" He said to me.
A minute later, a lady, her child and dog came out. She had no idea what was going on. "Your house is on fire, ma'am!" He exclaimed.
Emilio found that the outside garage floodlight had fallen and caught the sod on fire. He ran from one side of the house to the other. "Where's your hose, ma'am?"
Thankfully we got there when the fire just began. Smoke was quickly filling the air. He put the fire out and the fire department was there within minutes. If it wasn't for the grace of God the house might have went up in flames tonight.
That quick death can snatch us. We must be ready to meet our Maker. In Jonathan Edward's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" he aptly describes the transitory nature of life:
"It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances."
Ray Comfort gives us insight on the unbelievers view of death, "Sinners are often shocked when death comes close to them. It’s as though they had never taken the time to face reality. One of the first signs of an awakening soul is that they face their own mortality--that life itself is a slippery place."
Life is slippery. You don't know what today will hold. But for the Christian, we know Who holds today. God is in control and does all things for His Glory and for the believers good. If you've been born again, you can trust that God will work out everything for the good in your life. He will bring beauty out of every trial. There is security for you in Jesus Christ. He is a strong tower for you.
If you are reading this and you have not repented and turned from your sins and received Christ as your Savior, please don't wait another minute to be reconciled to God, tonight. Fling yourself on the mercy of God. It's not too late.
8 comments:
What a Sovereign Joy moment.
Wow Trish, that is crazy! I knew y'alls strange hours would come in handy one day...;)
What if you and Emilio had said, "Oh no her house is on fire...but I bet she's asleep. I wouldn't want to bother her and wake her up. She may think I'm crazy or something banging on her door in the middle of the night to warn her about the fire. We should just leave her alone and not worry about it. Maybe somebody else will come along, like a fireman, to warn her about the fire."
Sadly many Christians act that way about warning the unsaved about "the wrath that is to come". They would warn them about an earthly fire at their house, but not an eternal fire? "They may think I'm crazy" or "I don't want to bother them" doesn't make sense when a house is on fire. Why would it make sense when a soul is involved?
The thought of that convicts me, I hope it does other Christians as well.
Gee, Euaggelion, if only there was some kind of, you know, evidence to show that the house was fire?
Smoke? Flames? Heat? Nah, perish the thought.
Your analogy only works if there is no smoke, flames and so forth but insist there is. Then you'd go on and say that we have to know the fire and it will reveal itself to us. At this point we're pretty certain you're insane. And heck, you'll even walk off sputtering that we're fools for not believing in a fire that isn't there.
Trish, I am happy to hear that everything turned out all right. It does not take long for a fire to rage out of control, so you were fortunate that it started when it did! I hope the damage was minimal.
With this Texas heat, walking or biking after midnight is probably a comfortable time to be out! Thanks be to God y'all were passing at that exact time and able to warn the people inside!
Euaggelion, great comment. Very true and convicting.
Praise God you and your husband were out at that time and were able to warn the people in the house! I would hate to think of what could have happened had it not been for you two!
God know your heart and I believe He put you there at that exact moment. Praise be to Him!
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