D.O.

One of the favorite stories in our family is about Grandma Bass. Way back in the Civil War, the Union soldiers came through her part of the country. They were hungry, so they took what they wanted. They robbed houses, took food, and left a mess. Grandma Bass was fussy about her house. Besides, she was a Southerner. Yankee soldiers weren't going to wreck her farm home.

She got ham and all the rest of the meat that was in the smokehouse. That's where she always treated and stored the meat. She got her boys to carry it and the food from her kitchen down the lane. She stood beside it with her arms crossed and waited for the soldiers. When they came, she cheerfully told them to help themselves.

Before I tell you the rest of the story, there are some important differences between Grandma's offer of good food and God's kind offer of salvation.

Grandma didn't like those Union soldiers. She just wanted to avoid trouble with them. God loves you. He's very interested in your having His salvation.

Grandma gave the best she had. When God gives the best He has, Grandma's best can't compare with it. God gave His Son to save sinners. Since He gave His best for sinners, you cannot improve on the salvation He offers. Salvation is the most wonderful blessing God can give.

Some people think that those soldiers deserved to be fed. You and I don't deserve God's great salvation, though. God has said that we are sinners. Sinners deserve to be punished.

Grandma couldn't give enough to feed all those soldiers. When God gave the Lord Jesus Christ to die for sinners, He provided enough for all. What Christ suffered on the cross is enough so you can receive salvation freely. He paid enough for a world of sinners.

To get back to the story, here's what those Union soldiers did. The leader threw back his head and laughed at Grandma Bass. "we're not going to touch that. You can't fool us. We know you've poisoned it." She tried to tell them otherwise, but it was no use. They kept on going. She carried her food back to the house and later served it to her family.

That's the way some people treat God's kind offer to save them. They refuse His kindness.

You can understand the soldiers. Others already had offered soldiers bad food. They didn't know Grandma wasn't going to harm them. The Bible shows us what's in God's heart. He is always kind. When He offers salvation to you, He wants the best for you. You will miss a great blessing if you refuse His kindness.

Here's one last difference between Grandma's offer and God's. When those soldiers turned away from Grandma's kindness, they found food somewhere else. If you refuse God's kind offer of salvation, there is no other salvation. There is not other way to heaven apart from being saved. There is no other way to be saved apart from the Lord Jesus. If you refuse God's kindness, there is no other way to escape the punishment of your sins in hell.

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