(Jesus said) “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27-28
Most towns have thieves who are, for want of a better word, lazy.
They are opportunistic and stealing only when the pickings are going to be easy and require little effort on their parts.
The thieves of Nanaimo, British Columbia, do not fit that mold. The thieves of that Canadian community are veritable giants when it comes to being industrious and hard working.
Let me explain. Recently, some thieves broke into a loading bay door at Lonewolf Cabinet Company. The thieves took a laptop computer and a memory stick.
So far, nothing special. Right?
Well, the thieves also took a dark green safe that dated back to the 1950s. They took a safe that weighed over 700 pounds. The owner of the place said they must have had a chore maneuvering the beast through the back shop, which was loaded with wood and cabinets.
There’s one other thing you should know, which the thieves — industrious as they are — have probably found out by now: the safe was empty. Russell Inglis, the owner, said the combination he was given when he bought the safe never worked; hence there was nothing inside it.
An awful lot of work for nothing, wouldn’t you say? If they weren’t thieves, you might almost feel sorry for them.
When I read that United Press International story, I thought that sounds like the devil.
You know, he’s going to an awful lot of work trying to steal our souls. He thinks up all kinds of temptations to place in front of us and comes up with all kinds of seductions to make us change our affections. It’s a lot of work, but he’s not going to get anything for it.
That’s because, as Jesus relates in our text, no one will snatch His people out of His hand.
The Savior has, through His innocent life, through His complete obedience to the commands of the Law and through His sacrificial death rescued us and brought us home.
That’s why, no matter how hard the devil or the world work, they can’t get us back. Their hard efforts, like that of those thieves in British Columbia, are going for nothing.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for bringing us back to the family of faith we thank You. Now we ask that You will claim others who are still lost. Grant them faith in the Savior and confidence in Your salvation which is certain and sure. This I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
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