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While living on a beautiful tropical island I experienced many thrilling incidents, but the one which follows made a great impression upon me.

One day, out on the sea in their small sailboat, a father and son were on the lookout for hawksbill turtles. At that time their shells sold for a high price since they were in great demand for the manufacture of turtle shell combs and brushes. Soon they saw one of these turtles, clearly visible in the translucent waters.

But the prized hawksbill turtle eluded them and their efforts that day proved to be in vain. Again the next day they searched for the prize, and the following day they went again, but the turtle could not be found. At last the father gave up the search.

But with the dawn of a new day the son decided to continue the search. Though he urged his father to help in the catch of the valuable turtle, the father could not be persuaded. He told his father that if he stayed home and the turtle was captured, he would lose his share of the prize money. But the old man said “no.” The boy urged and coaxed and pleaded, but to no avail.

Alone on the peaceful waters, the boy this day caught the turtle. In triumph he returned to the little village. News of the catch had preceded him by means of other boats, and when he landed his catch on the wharf, a crowd of villagers was there to see the prize. Among them was the boy’s father. His share of the prize money was gone. If he had only gone that morning—but it was too late.

“Say, son,” he cried, “Why didn’t you take me with you?”

“You know how I pleaded with you, Dad.”

“Yes, but you should have urged me to go.”

“I did, father, you know I did. You know I tried as hard as I knew how to get you to go.”

“But son,” wailed the old man, “you should have made me go!”

To the old fisherman the loss of the prize money had great significance. But friend, do you ever stop to think that you are in danger of losing your precious soul? And your soul stands for your life, your real living. You are in danger of losing forever the blessedness of real living—of knowing eternally the joy of life, divine life, a life of perfect joy and peace and glory.

Instead, you are facing eternal death and eternal woe—the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth of which our Lord Jesus speaks in Matthew 13:49,50 and 25:30. And I imagine that in the day of judgment some of you might, as you stand before the judgment bar of God (Revelation 20:11-15), wish you could say to us Christians: “Why, oh, why didn’t you tell me to come to Christ; why did you not urge me; why didn’t you make me come?”

Oh, dear friend, if we only could, we surely would. We can’t make you come, but we can plead with you, and once more with this little paper we urge you to come to Christ as a guilty sinner (Romans 3:23), and trust Him as your Saviour. He died for you (1 Corinthians 15:3,4;
1 Thessalonians 5:9,10) and bore your sins on the cross (Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 2:24) so that you might live forever with Him (John 14:1-6).

Come to Him now, make no delay. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). —August Van Ryn

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