This man had a young son who lived with him in the little house beside the tracks. He was his only son, and he loved him with everything he had. The son loved to play outside.
One day, the man was busy listening for the next train that was due to come really soon! All of sudden he heard the whistle of the train signalling it's approach. He was all set to switch the tracks, but first he scanned to see that there was nothing blocking the tracks as he had made a habit of doing.
To his shock, there was his young son playing on the tracks that the train was supposed to coast along to safety on! He had a decision to make! His son was too far away to rescue from the onslaught of the train in time, and the train was already too close to bring to a stop before heading over the cliff if he didn't switch the tracks.
Heart pounding, he knew what he must do! He switched the tracks! The train full of people coasted along away from the certain death that had awaited them, but his son's life was given instead so that they could have life.
Does this story sound familiar?
It should!
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." This is a scripture that pretty much everyone has heard, but few grasp the meaning of it.
God saw our lives heading to destruction. Only it isn't a cliff, it is our own sin. Sin is simply "missing the mark". All humans sin! No one person can say that they don't ever lie or think wrong thoughts! Sin is not just the big things like murder or theft, but it can be as seemingly small as having a bad thought about someone! The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Sin corrupts things that were good!
God loves us so passionately. He gets blamed for so many tragedies that happen in the world, but again, they are a result of the sin that has entered the world. The world that God created was perfect, but corruption entered the heart of man and also into nature. Because of that, horrible stuff happens. People don't realise it, but God's heart breaks when He sees this stuff going on in the world.
He has a solution for sin though! He has provided His son to take the death that should have been ours! Not only that, but He has provided a way for us to have life like it should be - in abundance! The awesome thing is that Jesus Christ not only took our place in death, but He also took control over death and Hell by tackling and beating up the one who had brought sin into the world - the devil - and taking the keys of Death and Hell into His own hands! Afterwards, He rose again proving His victory over death, and He rose to the right side of the Heavenly Father. Life is available for you now! Life like you never knew before! We can actually have a relationship with the One Who created us!
