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Does God truly love me? >
Stumbling blocks

Building blocks
Building the Body, encouraging the faint-hearted and supporting the weak

Does God truly love me?

This is a true story of a young bugle boy and a soldier. They both served in the army during the Boer War. The bugle boy, Willie Holt, was twelve years old when he was assigned to a tent with seven godless soldiers. One of these men was called Bill. However, unlike Bill, Willie was a devoted believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Each night, he knelt by his bed to silently pray and read his Bible. As he did so, the other soldiers mocked and cursed.

One day the Colonel-in-Charge called the Company on Parade. A thief had been traced to the tent where Willie and Bill had been assigned. In a desperate attempt to trace the criminal, the Colonel issued his ultimatum to the whole Company. "My previous warnings have been to no avail", he said. "Last night the thief was at it again. Today, I will give the culprit one last Opportunity to identify himself and take his punishment like a man. If he does not respond, every man in the Company will be punished with ten lashes of the whip upon his bare back. But if one of you comes forward to take the punishment, the rest will be spared."

After a tense silence, Willie stood to attention, stepped forward and said:
"Sir, you have just stated that 'if one man comes forward to take the punishment, the rest will be spared'. Sir, I will be that man." With anger, the Colonel cried out against the unknown coward: "How can you let an innocent lad take your punishment?" No one moved. "Then", said the Colonel, "you will all watch the wretched sight of an innocent boy taking the punishment for the guilty man."

True to his word, the Colonel ordered Willie's back to be bared, and then the cruel lashes of the whip commenced. As Willie swooned beneath the bitter blows, suddenly Bill, unable to bear the spectacle any longer, rushed from the ranks and shouted; "Stop! I am the thief. I will take my own punishment." Coming round from his swoon, Willie tenderly lifted his eyes to Bill and whispered; "It's all right Bill, the Colonel can't go back on his word now. I will take all of your punishment." And he did!

Young Willie never did recover from the effects of his lashing. But before Willie went to Heaven, Bill, now a broken man, wept at his bedside and asked; "Why Willie? Why did you do it for me? I'm not worth it." Willie's answer was simple and telling: "Bill", he said, "I have often tried to tell you how much God loves you but you always laughed. I thought that if I just took your punishment, it might help you to understand how much Jesus loved you when He went to the Cross to take your place and to die for your sin." Before Willie went to Heaven, Bill accepted the salvation so freely offered by a loving Christ.

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" 1Thess 5:21