The Cross

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:14-17 ESV). In 1967 there was a young man named Charles Murray who was a student at the University of Cincinnati and training for the summer Olympics of 1968 as a high diver. One of his friends had been sharing with him the plan of God through Christ for his salvation. Charles was not raised in a home that attended any kind of church, so all that was told to him was a fascination to him. He began to ask questions about forgiveness of sin. Finally the day came that his friend put a question to him. He was asked if he realized his own need of a redeemer and if he was ready to trust Christ as his own Savior. Even with the guilt in his face, his reply was a strong "no." In the days that followed he was quiet and often avoiding his friend. Late one night he called his friend. He wanted to know where to look in the New Testament for some verses that he had been given about salvation. He was greatly troubled, but his friend did not know where he was or how to help him. Because he was training for the Olympic games, Charles had special privileges at the University pool facilities. Some time between 10:30 and 11:00 that evening he decided to go swim and practice a few dives. It was a clear night in October and the moon was big and bright. The University pool was housed under a ceiling of glass panes so the moon shone bright across the top of the wall in the pool area. Charles climbed to the highest platform to take his first dive. At that moment the Spirit of God began to convict him of his sins. All the scripture he had read, all the occasions of witnessing to him about Christ flooded his mind. He stood on the platform backwards to make his dive, spread his arms to gather his balance, looked up to the wall and saw his own shadow caused by the light of the moon. It was the shape of a cross. He could bear the burden of his sin no longer. His heart broke and he sat down on the platform and asked God to forgive him and save him. He trusted Jesus Christ twenty some feet in the air. Suddenly, the lights in the pool area came on. The attendant had come in to check the pool. As Charles looked down from his platform he saw an empty pool, which had been drained for repairs. He had almost plummeted to his death, but the cross had stopped him from disaster. In a dramatic fashion the cross had saved his life both physically and spiritually that night. How about you? Have you turned to the cross and trusted in the work of Christ for your salvation? You can with a simple prayer just as Charles did that night. Why don’t you turn to Jesus now?