Think a minute…You may have heard the famous true story of the Mutiny on the Bounty. English sailors rebelled against their captain, William Bligh, in the South Pacific. They took control of his ship and put him and his few loyal men adrift on a small row boat out in the middle of the vast Pacific. These rebel sailors knew that they had committed one of the worst crimes possible, with the punishment of death. They escaped to a lonely island named Pitcairn. There they sank their own ship to hide from the world for the rest of their lives. Less than 20 years later only one of those rebel sailors was still alive. Their little island paradise had become a living hell. They had fought so much among themselves that they killed each other one-by-one.
When the last Bounty mutineer was finally discovered he had completely changed. Instead of the alcoholic thief and murderer he had been, he was now a gentle, loving father. The British government was so impressed by the change in this old rebel sailor that instead of executing him they pardoned him for his horrible crimes.
What happened to completely change the heart and character of that drunken rebel and criminal? He had become so depressed and miserable from all the fighting and killing of his former shipmates that he became a hopeless alcoholic. Finally, one day he was prepared to kill himself when he came across Captain Bligh’s old Bible. He began to read about God’s mercy and love for him, so he asked Jesus to forgive Him and help him start changing. From that day forward he was a different man.
Maybe you also have rebelled and lived your own sinful way. You might even feel like a castaway, rejected by certain people, and especially by God. But the truth is that you can never become too bad and sinful for God to love, forgive and accept you. He will never cast you away and reject you—no matter what you have done. Today Jesus is waiting for you to ask Him to forgive you and start changing your heart. It’s only then you can start enjoying your new life that He died to give you. Why wait? Just think a minute…