MORNING MANNA 5-24-25
REFUSING RESCUE
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”John 10:9
Here is a shocking story of a man who chose death over life.
On May 1, 1830, George Wilson and James Porter were sentenced to a public hanging for six charges of robbing the US Mail. The justice system was much different then, and penalties were harsher. However, George Wilson had some influential friends who convinced President Andrew Jackson to give him a pardon.
Rather than being overjoyed, Wilson resolutely refused to accept the pardon. The case was sent to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshal and the rest of the court ruled that a pardon could not be forced on anyone, so the execution was carried out.
Although we may never know what caused George Wilson to refuse his pardon, we could certainly all learn how important it is to accept ours. In this passage Christ uses a door as a picture of the salvation He can give.
Perhaps the most important word of the whole verse is the two-letter word “if”. The door of God’s forgiveness is open to everyone, but only those who choose to enter will be saved. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Thank God for His salvation and consider all He has done for you in giving His Son to give you eternal life. Why would you reject what you need most?
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, TX
