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Themes "Substitue, Christ the Savior THE LIFELINE Slowly, Linda sank down into the dark depths of the blue Pacific. Since deciding to come to Hawaii, Linda had been taking scuba diving lessons. However, there was no comparison between a swimming pool and the Pacific Ocean. Now that the divers were more that 30 feet from fresh air, Linda was scared. The pressure was building and it was becoming more difficult to breathe. Linda began to panic as the ocean closed in around her. Instead of watching the colorful fish, all she could think of was the awful darkness beneath her. Those murky depths brought to mind verses from the Bible about the blackness of darkness in Hell and the Lake of fire. When Linda was young, she remembered her mother telling of a place that God had prepared for the devil, called Hell. She knew the Scripture says, "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). Linda realized she needed to repent of her sins because the Bible says "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Linda was gripped with the fact she could spend eternity in Hell. While Linda continued to think about eternal matters, she fell behind the rest of the divers. Soon, she realized no one was in sight. She was all alone. Suddenly, it seemed as if she could not breathe. The darkness closed in around her and without thinking she yanked out the regulator. Instantly, her mouth filled with salt water and her lungs began to burn. Too late! She realized she had lost her lifeline. "Oh God," Linda prayed. "I'm dying and I know I'm going to Hell." Just then Hank, Linda's diving guide, grabbed Linda and stuffed her regulator back into her mouth. Slowly, Linda began to steady her breathing and head for the surface. Linda quickly swam for shore. Soon Hank came back too. "You had me worried," he said. "You were fighting against the only thing that could save you." Linda's mind reeled at these words because they again made her think of eternity. Although Linda knew the forgiveness of sins comes only through Christ, she never made the matter of her sins a priority. She had never seen the awfulness of her sins before God until that terrifying moment in the ocean. Just like a light had come on in her dark soul, Linda realized the only way to be spared from eternity in Hell was to accept Christ as her Savior. Linda bowed her head there on the beach and told God what a vile sinner she was, and asked God to forgive her sins. She told Him, "I understand I deserve to be in Hell, but I believe Jesus died on the cross in my place." Linda left Hawaii saved, knowing she had reached out to Christ as her lifeline. How about you? Unless you have accepted Christ as the only one who can forgive your sins you will never be fit for Heaven. Trust Him and start for Heaven today.
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