This past weekend at the Bill Glass “Behind the Walls” prison ministry event I worked with a man from Atlanta who was a talented singer. He would sing a few songs to get the audience warmed up and in a good mood and then I would give my testimony. During lunch he told me his story.
He was an ex-con and had served many years in prison. He was in and out of the joint for various offenses and his last offense had earned him a habitual offender stretch and he was sentenced to 25 years. That was bad enough but the circumstances of his arrest were even worse.
A man who owned a garage owed him some money and wouldn’t pay, so he decided to steal his truck and while he was at it steal all his tools. He spent half the night loading heavy tools valued at several hundred thousand dollars on the big truck that he intended to steal, but before he could get away the police came and arrested him.
The officer laughingly proceeded to tell my friend that even if he had escaped police detection there was one major problem that my friend would have had to overcome, the truck he was going to haul all of his loot away on didn’t have a motor in it! That’s right he didn’t even check to see if he could start it prior to working all night loading exceedingly heavy tools on it.
A-ha ha ha ha ha ha ha . . . A-ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
A few years later his little six year old daughter got sick and died while he was still locked up in prison. He was so grief stricken and distraught that he decided to kill himself. He was up on the second tier of the cell block when he suddenly ran to the guard rail and dove over the edge with the intent of splattering himself on the concrete floor below. The problem was that he should have looked before he leaped because he landed in a big garbage pile which broke his fall and saved his life.
This man’s story while somewhat comical reminds me of something very serious. It is reminiscent of those who spend an entire lifetime immersed in their sins working away to accumulate things only to find that they won’t be taking them anywhere and instead they will be hauled off to a place called hell where they will be incarcerated for eternity. Like my friend all of their hard work to accumulate those things will be for naught and they won’t be taking any of it with them.
The incident of trying to commit suicide reminds me of those who end up in hell. The Bible tells us that those who end up there will wish they could commit suicide and end the pain in their lives, but will not be able to do so. They will be doomed to eternal damnation.
My friend became a Muslim in prison for quite some time. Later he found Jesus and asked Him to forgive him of his sins and save his life. He got out of prison early for good behavior and now spends his time trying to lead others to the Savior.
Now that my friends is the plan of the century! This time his hard work will be rewarded with peace, joy, and love forever and he will receive a crown of righteousness instead of a trip to the slammer. Too, he will be reunited with his little daughter one day and oh what a day of rejoicing that will be. Selah . . .
The Bible states that we have ALL sinned and without the blood of Jesus covering our sins we will have to take the heavy punishment for those sins. Jesus has a plan for your life and it’s a good plan, but we have the free will to choose or reject His free gift. As for me I unashamedly choose to stand up for Jesus Christ!
Mark 9:48
“If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. “For everyone will be salted with fire . . .
December 9, 2014 – Click here to listen