I stumbled across the desert sand,
The air was hot and dry;
I knew if I didn’t find water soon,
Most surely I would die.

"If  I died, what then?" I thought,
My mind quickened by death’s kiss.
I couldn’t stop myself from wondering,
"Could Hell be worse than this?"

Across the desert I saw a mirage
In the heat coming up from the sand;
It was a wagon pulled by horses,
Driven by a little old man.

As it approached, to my surprise,
I saw that the vision was true.
The man held a sign, "Religion for sale
and yes, I have water too."

He gave me a cup of water to drink,
It was cool as if drawn from a well.
As he refilled the cup I asked,
"Do you really have religion for sale?"

  "Son," he said "I have many kinds
and you’ll be surprised at the cost;
All but One you buy with your life,
For when you die you’re still lost.

They teach salvation by religious works,
Some that seem quite odd;
But it’s foolish to think your works could appease
The likes of an almighty God!"

"What of the One you mentioned?" I asked.
He said, "It’s the real and only one.
It teaches you owe a debt for your sin
That’s been paid by God’s only Son.

Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice;
To Him your sin you must confess.
Ask Him to be Lord of your life,
Trust Him to do the rest."

He shook the reigns and rode away,
The wagon vanished as it rolled;
He had given me water for my thirst
and living water for my soul.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a
result of works, that no one should boast."
Ephesians 2:8,9

© 1995  A. Mitchell Moore, Jr.