He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
John 3:36.
On the promenade deck of an ocean liner a lady was distributing gospel tracts. One gentleman who had received such a folded flyer glimpsed briefly at it. When he had ascertained what it proclaimed, he tore it into tiny fragments and threw them overboard. Satisfied he watched the wind whirl them around and carry them out to sea.
When he was undressing in his cabin before going to bed, he noticed a small scrap of paper on his clothing. It had come from the tract he had torn up. There were only two words on the scrap: “God” and “eternity”.
Just two words, but words of unfathomable significance. The man lay down on his bed, but could not get to sleep. Incessantly those two words went round and round in his mind. In order to get some peace he drank a glass of cognac, but it didn’t help. “God” – one must reckon with Him, whether one wants to or not. “Eternity” – a threatening thought. How brief was the time still left in his life compared with eternity. Should he start thinking seriously about the matter?
We do not know how long those two words and the thought of resurrection and God’s just judgment plagued that man’s conscience. But one day he heard the gospel of the Son of God, who came to earth to reconcile the guilty with our holy God through His atoning death. He accepted the message by faith and obtained peace for his heart and conscience.