​THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS

A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often.

One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board and as he turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body in the shape of a cross. Instead of diving, he knelt down and asked God to come into his life. As the young man stood, a maintenance man walked in and turned the lights on. The pool had been drained for repairs.
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He Tried to Save Himself

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On Sunday, March 6, 1881, a barque was wrecked off the north coast of Scotland. Fishermen on shore made several attempts to get a line on board, but the wind was too strong. They succeeded at last, however, by using an empty barrel. There were eleven men on board, but only four or five were able to do anything, the remainder being helpless from the cold. As soon as the apparatus was in working order for the traveling cage, which was to be drawn along the rope, one young sailor was put into it, and a few minutes found him on shore in the hands of kind friends.

This first man was scarcely saved when, through the tide and the wind, the ship was swung round among the rocks, and the traveling apparatus becoming entangled across her bow, was rendered unmanageable.

 

Then a man descended from the vessel and tried to save himself by coming along the rope hand over hand, but, alas, such an attempt was useless. The waves were beating over him like falling houses, and the poor fellow had gone but a little distance from the ship when the heavy seas swept over him, and in a few seconds he dropped into the surging waves. A few moments after this, the bow of the ship lifted again over the rocks, and soon the apparatus was disentangled and again workable, and all of the others were safely brought to shore.

When the captain was asked about the lost man he said, “We tried to persuade him not to attempt such a useless task, as it would be impossible for him to reach the shore in that way, but he would not listen to us. A fine fellow he was,” added the captain, “the best man in the crew; but he was lost because he tried to save himself in his own way.” Yes, all the rest were saved, but by other hands than their own.

Human powers are wholly inadequate for salvation. To rely upon them is to invite and insure spiritual disaster.

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Death’s Sting Is Gone

A little boy and his father were driving down a country road on a beautiful spring afternoon. Suddenly out of nowhere a bumblebee flew in the car window. Since the little boy was deathly allergic to bee stings he became petrified. His father quickly reached out, grabbed the bee, squeezed it in his hand, and then released it. But as soon as he let it go, the young son became frantic once again as it buzzed by the little boy.

The father sensed his son’s terror. Once again he reached out his hand, but this time he pointed to this hand. There, stuck in his skin was the stinger of the bee. “You see this?” he asked. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore. I’ve taken the sting for you.”

The Christian does not need to be afraid of death because Christ has taken the sting out of death and sin.

1 Corinthians 15:55-56: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”
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From East to West

Someone asked an elderly Christian lady, “Does the devil ever trouble you about your past sins?” She answered, “Yes.” When the inquirer asked what she did then, she replied, “Oh, I just tell him to go east.”
“What do you do if he comes back?”
“I tell him to go west.”
“And when he comes back from the west, what do you do then?”
She said, “I just keep him going from the east to the west.”
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
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Salvation Is Not Dependent on Feelings
 

Once a man told D. L. Moody that he was worried because he did not feel saved. Moody asked, “Was Noah safe in the ark?”
“Certainly he was,” the man replied.
“Well, what made him safe—his feeling or the ark?”
“How foolish I’ve been!” the man said. “It is not my feeling; it is Christ who saves!”
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Knowing the Shepherd of the Twenty-Third Psalm
 

May years ago, one of England’s leading actors was asked to recite for the pleasure of his fellow guests. He consented and asked if there was anything special that his audience would like to hear.

After a moment’s pause, an old clergyman present said: “Could you, sir, recite to us the Twenty-third Psalm?”

A strange look passed over the actor’s face; he paused for a moment, and then said: “I can, and I will, upon one condition; and that is that after I have recited it, you, my friend, will do the same.”

“I?” said the clergyman, in surprise. “But I am not an elocutionist. However, if you wish it, I will do so.”

Impressively, the great actor began the psalm. His voice and his intonation were perfect. He held his audience spell bound; and as he finished, a great burst of applause broke from the guests.

Then, as it died away, the old clergyman arose and began the psalm. His voice was not remarkable; his intonation was not faultless. When he had finished, no sound of applause broke the silence—but there was not a dry eye in the room, and many heads were bowed.

Then the actor rose to his feet again. His voice shook as he laid his hand upon the shoulder of the old clergyman and said: “I reached your eyes and ears, my friends; he reached your hearts.The difference is just this—I know the Twenty-third Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.