The Old Soldier's Tale - Bingo

The old soldier told me of the time when playing Bingo literally saved his life.

It was during the war and he was aboard a troop ship in the Atlantic Ocean en-route for India via the Cape of Good Hope.

The soldiers were not given proper sleeping accomodation, but had to just find any space free to sleep. It was hot at night as they were approaching the equator and the soldier used to sleep on deck.

He used to sleep inside a box used for storing life jackets, many was the morning he awoke to find the lid that he had propped open during the night had fallen shut and other ship-mates were sat on the lid, so he had to knock loudly for them to let him out.

One evening, by way of entertainment some games of Bingo were held to pass the time and so it was that the evening ended later than usual and instead of going back to his bed on deck, he slept below decks.

That night there was a fierce storm and all the lifeboats on one side of the ship were swept away, so too was the box that had held the life jackets and in which the old soldier used to sleep.

Have you had something happen in your life that has literally saved you life ?

One evening when I was at university I overheard two Christians talking about what they were doing that evening. One said he was doing a Bible Study, this was a Saturday night !!

My expression of surprise was the start of me discovering what the Christian Gospel was all about and becoming a Christian.

A chance meeting between Philip and an Ethiopian led to a life changing moment for the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26 - 40)

Are you willing for Jesus to change your life ?

The Bible is full of people whose lives have been changed, always for the better by God. People continue today to receive forgiveness of their sins, eternal life, a new purpose in life. What is stopping you joining them ?

"But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come !" (2 Cor 5:17)

Michael Fowler September 1999