Echoes of Grace: 1990

If you had ever met the old Indian grandfather, you probably wouldn't have thought that he had much to be thankful for. He lived in one room, cooked his own meals and supported himself by collecting old pieces of lumber and making small benches to sell in the market. He never made much money but always greeted us cheerfully in his Indian language. The secret to his thankfulness and happiness was that he knew that Jesus had died on the cross for his sins.

One day my husband visited the old grandfather and found him working diligently with a saw so worn that it had as few teeth as the old grandfather himself. My husband brought him over to our house and gave him a new saw which we had recently purchased. That's when we found out just how thankful the old man was. His Indian tongue poured out his thanks and he even got down on his knees. My husband quickly pulled him again to his feet.

When they came to the kitchen my husband warned me, "You are about to be thanked." Sure enough, his thankful heart poured forth again to me. I thought he was going to give me the local customary handshake, but instead he grabbed me and kissed my cheek and then kissed both my hands! I assured him that he was most welcome in Spanish (which he didn't understand) and he left the house with his tongue still clicking away with his Indian "Thank you."

Needless to say, we had been "thanked" until we were embarrassed. Who could imagine all those words—whatever they were—for a new saw? Just the same, I think you and I can learn something from that old Indian grandfather. We take the many good things that God gives us and seldom remember the One who most deserves our thanks.

Did you thank God for your breakfast this morning? Have you ever thanked Him for your family and friends or other things that you value? Is it possible that you have never thanked God for anything? Perhaps it is because you are not saved. If your heart is still stained with sin, you need the Lord Jesus, the only Savior of sinners. He alone can cleanse your heart from sin. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

May you come to the Lord Jesus for salvation and say with the old grandfather, and with us, Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift (2 Cor. 9:15). For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Christopher

Christopher was a blond-haired, blue-eyed little boy. He had been riding in the back of his parents' station wagon—perhaps to the store, perhaps to go out for dinner. I am not sure of these details, because, you see, I work in a hospital emergency room, and when I saw Christopher he was no longer laughing and 17 smiling While Christopher’s dad and mom dad mom were driving, with him in the back seat, they were in an accident. Christopher was hurled II, against the back of the front seat of the car.

Christopher was hurt very badly and was rushed to the hospital where I work. Immediately doctors and nurses with the best equipment worked feverishly to help him. Various life support efforts were implemented. In spite of their efforts, Christopher would never again be able to play with his friends, to run outside, to enjoy an ice cream cone. Christopher was dead.

I thought how terrible it was that a little boy should die, and yet the Bible says that by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Rom. 5:12). But Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die (John 11:25, 26).

I wondered if Christopher had ever heard the story of Christ's love in dying to save sinners. And had he heard that "a little child of seven, or even three or four, can enter into heaven through Christ, the open door"?

What if it had been you whose life was cut off so early, so tragically? Have you received the gift of eternal life—the happy life in the house of God the Father—by simply accepting Jesus as your personal Savior? Have you come to Him to have your sins washed away?

Won't you do it today?

What Is Meant by Believing?

Many, many people who believe all about Christ have never believed on or in the Lord Jesus Christ. The difference is important. An old Christian put the matter very forcibly. He said, "There are a mighty lot of professing Christians in America, but if you were to cut off their heads there would be nothing left!" This was his way of explaining that there was nothing in the heart—no real conversion, no real believing with the heart to the saving of the soul.

Suppose you and I are walking by the seashore on a beautiful summer day. We see the lifeboat lying on the sands. We admire its strength, its grace, its adaptability for saving life. In short, we believe all about it. But we are in no need of the lifeboat at the moment; our feet are on the sands and we are in no danger of drowning.

Now suppose we are on the deck of a sinking ship and our only hope of rescue lies in the lifeboat. With what different feelings we watch the approach of the lifeboat! With what relief we drop into it, and are saved! We believe not only about it, but on and in it.

Now, every soul is in need of Christ; all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Have you ever come as a needy sinner to Christ, and received Him as your personal Savior?

Have you received salvation from Him? If you haven't, it doesn't matter what you may believe about Him—you have never believed in Him. You have never believed to the saving of your soul. See to it that you really and truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).

God Loves You

AFTER a gospel address I spoke to a young man who seemed to be impressed by the Word, but I soon found out that he had not heard anything that was said, for he was deaf. Using sign language, I said, "God loves you."

He just looked at me and shook his head, answering flatly, "No, no, I can't believe it. I know He hates me."

"How can you say so?" I asked.

"I once went to a place where a man was preaching, and there was an interpreter for deaf people. He told us that 'God would forever cast us into hell if we did not live holy lives and keep His holy commandments.' Ever since I heard that I've not opened a Bible. I'm afraid to. I've never gone near that place again."

"Why did you come here? You could not hear anything."

"I don't know why I came."

"Shall I tell you?" I asked.

"If you know, you can."

"I'm sure you were drawn here that you might know that God loves you."

"I wish I did know it!"

Taking up a Bible, I turned to John 3:16, that grand old verse which has brought peace to millions: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The light seemed to shine in, little by little, but still there was a kind of dread. Finally we read together: Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. And, We love Him, because He first loved us (1 John 4:17,19).

As he read them again and again, the change in his expression was wonderful to see. Taking out his notebook, he wrote down all the passages I had shown him. After saying "good-by," he added, "I see it all now and I praise God for the gift of Jesus."

Can it be that you are deaf—spiritually deaf? Or have your ears been opened to hear the voice of the Son of God? God loves you, and has shown that love in giving His Son to die for you. He has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. If He did, there would have been no need for the Lord Jesus to die. I want you to understand this and to make no mistake about it: GOD LOVES YOU. Just admit you are a sinner, and let that love draw you to Himself.

If We Neglect

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? It does not say, "How shall we escape if we doubt or scorn or despise so great salvation?" It says only: How shall we escape, if we neglect?

Suppose a man has been poisoned, and a sure and certain antidote is provided for him. He does not need to throw it on the ground or trample it under foot. He has only to let it remain untouched by his bedside, and the result will be the same as if he had destroyed it in a passion or thrown it away in contempt.

Salvation includes three immense blessings: deliverance from the guilt of sin, from the mastery of sin, and from the consequences of sin. It is great because of its Author, because of the means by which it was accomplished, and because of its end and object. As we think of the immense price paid for salvation, the depth of misery from which it saves, the height of blessedness to which it raises, we see how great it is—great beyond the power of language to express.

Is this great and free and everlasting salvation yours, or are you neglecting it? Do not think that in order to lose your soul you must be guilty of many and terrible crimes. You have only to sit still and do nothing when Jesus stands at the door and knocks, to keep the door closed when He offers salvation. Simple neglect will keep the door closed.

If this is what you are doing, how shall you escape? On what good and solid ground can you rest any hope of escaping? God's Word plainly says: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

The Gift of God

THE LORD JESUS sat in weariness at Jacob's well. In love He had come to save His people from their sins but they would not receive Him. His tender heart was weary and grieved as He sat.

A despised Samaritan woman came with her waterpot to the well. She was a poor wretched woman living in open sin, not realizing that the eye of Him who knows all that she ever did was upon her.

At noontime she arrived at the well, and was astonished that a Jew should ask her to give Him a drink. Jesus said to her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.

Notice that He did not say, "If you were not so great a sinner," nor, "If you will reform and become a holy woman, then I will give you living water." No, He let her know that He knew all that she had ever done. But there was such a depth of pity, grace and compassion in His face—such tender love to the sinner in those words—that it won her heart; it converted her soul.

Christ—the Son of God, the Savior of sinners—made Himself known to her, and she, leaving her waterpot, went to the city so full of Christ that, forgetting her own shame, she said, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

Can you meet the eye of Him who knows every thought of your heart from childhood—all you have ever done—and can you say that you are not a sinner? Why was this sinful woman not repelled by, but attracted to Jesus? If thou knewest the gift of God! Of whatever nation you are and no matter what sins you have committed, the first thing you need to know and to receive, is this gift of God.

What is the gift of God? The gift of God is eternal life. God sent His Son to meet that poor Samaritan sinner and give her that gift. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

It is a gift, a GIFT! You cannot buy it; you cannot earn it. He that knows all that you ever did, all that you are, sets before you Jesus the crucified and risen One—Jesus the glorified. Do you know Him—have you received Him?

Do you say, "But my sins are heavy; they press me down; what must I do?" If you have committed every sin that has been in this dark world, yet God's gift, redemption through His blood, abounds above it all. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Receive the gift of God. He freely offers it. Receive it, and, like this woman of Samaria, tell the good news to others.

She Risked Her Life

ON the northeast coast of Scotland lies a small fishing village. One time all the able-bodied men of the village went out in their boats to fish, leaving only three old men with the women and children. The men had sailed in the evening with fair skies. During the night a gale sprang up. Seeing their danger, they sought shelter in a harbor some eighteen miles from their homes.

When morning came the sea was wild and rough. As the day advanced the wind increased in force, driving the foam and spray over the houses near the beach and into the fields beyond.

Just when the storm seemed at its worst and the angry waves were thundering over the beach a small vessel was seen sweeping around the headland into the little bay. The villagers down on the shore, anxiously looking out for the return of the fishing boats, at once shouted a warning. But their cry was lost in the roar of wind and wave, and swiftly the vessel hurried to disaster, crashing at last onto a reef of rocks in the center of the bay. With the schooner grounded and the seas breaking furiously over her, the six-man crew scrambled into the rigging to avoid being washed overboard.

There appeared to be no hope for them; they must perish in the breakers of that angry sea.

Four miles away at another fishing village a lifeboat was stationed, but the path to it lay partly along the shore and it was being swept by the heavy waves. No one seemed anxious to face the dangers of the journey to bear the news of the wreck to the men who manned the lifeboat.

Finally a girl named Dorothy asked one of the old fishermen, "Will she hold together till noon? If I thought she could, I would go for the lifeboat."

"No, no," he replied, "stay where you are. You could never get across the stream."

"I'll try it," was her only response as she started off. Looking again at the wreck and thinking of the men who would die, she determined that she would do all that lay in her power to bring help for them.

Walking quickly across the wild moor for about a mile, she made her way down to the shore where she would be less exposed to the fury of the wind. She had to splash through the surf and foam at nearly every step, and now and again great waves almost swept her off her feet as they rushed up the shore. But on she went, determined to give the warning whatever the cost might be to her.

There was another One who never turned aside from the mission of mercy on which He came. The Lord Jesus set His face like a flint in order to fulfill His purpose. And what was that purpose? It was to open a way of salvation for YOU, and for ME.

We were sinners exposed to death and what follows death—JUDGMENT. For the wages of sin is death. And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. We were all shipwrecked on the reef of sin. We lived in our sins, and soon we were likely to be dying in our sins.

Thank God we do not need to die in our sins. Christ came to die to save us, and nothing turned Him aside from this.

Finally Dorothy came to the stream of which the old fisherman had spoken, the one he said she would not be able to cross. The stream, now swollen into a rushing torrent, had swept away the rough plank bridge which once had crossed it. Dorothy's heart sank as she looked at it, but the thought of the shipwrecked men came before her again, and with renewed courage she plunged waist-deep into the raging waters.

Nearly half-way, she sank into a deep hole. As the waters covered her she thought for an instant that this was the end, but then, making a great effort, she struggled forward and got a foothold again, at last reaching the further shore.

Wet and cold, she hurried on across the moor. She must go all the way if relief were to be procured for the shipwrecked seamen. Dorothy in love was risking her life for them. Christ had to give His life for us. The Son of man must be lifted up. Christ must suffer.

At last the village was in sight, and Dorothy, exhausted but determined, pushed on to the house of the lifeboat captain. Scarcely able to speak, she could only whisper, "The schooner—on the rocks—north—" Then she sank to the ground unconscious.

The captain, having called to his wife to care for the girl, quickly gathered his crew together. Speedily the boat was launched and urged on its way to the wreck. The seamen were still clinging to the masts, and soon a line was thrown on board and made fast. By this means they were all saved and brought in the lifeboat to the shore.

Dorothy, having had some food and dry clothes supplied to her by the captain's wife, returned home. She was delighted to find the sailors were all safe and sound in the homes of the kindly fishermen.

Those saved seamen loved to tell the story of Dorothy, the brave girl, and how she had taken that dangerous journey for their salvation.

Those of us who have learned to know Christ Jesus as Savior love to tell over and over again the story of the Savior's journey for us, from the glory of God to Calvary's cross. Thank God, we can tell of Him on the throne of glory now, and that He is coming again to call His own to be with Himself forever.

Do You Have a Comforter?

WHEN a young child gets hurt, where does she go for comfort? She runs to her mother, right? But as for those of us who are past childhood, where can we turn for comfort in our troubles? Many people of the world have no comforter.

NICOLAE CEAUSESCU oppressed the people of Romania for many years. When his government was overthrown, he tried to flee for his life. His captors kept him and his wife in an armored car and moved around so there could be no rescue attempts. They were both executed.

GENERAL MANUEL NORIEGA oppressed the people of Panama, but the time came when he fled to the Vatican Embassy in Panama City to save his life. While there it was reported that he was dejected and his face expressionless. He had amassed millions of dollars, but what good is it to him now? He is in custody in the United States awaiting trial on several charges.

KING SOLOMON was the wisest man (other than the Lord Jesus) who ever lived in this world. He says, I...considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter (Eccl. 4:1). Nicolae Ceausescu and Manuel Noriega had power, but even they had no comforter.

Perhaps as you read this you are thinking, "I'm glad I am free. I am not being oppressed by a dictator!" The Bible tells of those who were oppressed of the devil. Could that be you? Do you have a comforter? To whom can you turn in trouble?

The only ones who have a true Comforter are those who have confessed they are a sinner and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Otherwise you are oppressed of the devil. Going on in your sins you may enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, but what will do you when the season is over? The season may last a while, but it will surely end. What then?

The Lord Jesus, very near the time when He would be crucified, said, Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me (John 14:1). I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth.... I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.... Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:16-18, 27).

You may say, "I know Christians who have lots of trouble." They may have trouble, but they do have a Comforter. Many times a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has said in time of crisis, "I don't know what I would do without the Lord!" Many of us have experienced very real comfort from the Lord in times of trouble. Our God is the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3). Oh, the benefits of being a believer in the Lord Jesus! And there is more: we have the comfort of others who have passed through trouble too and have been comforted. Listen to this: The God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God (2 Cor. 1:3,4). Having experienced comfort in trouble, you then can be a comfort to others.

May I ask again, Do you have this Comforter? If not, do you want Him? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31).

Do it now!

Inflation

INFLATION—it's a word nobody likes but almost everyone talks about. It's discouraging to have prices rise continually, yet the inflation rate in the United States and Canada is really low compared to many third-world countries.

Our family lived in Bolivia when inflation rose to 200%, the highest in the world at that time. The government had to print bills with a value of 1 million pesos which were worth only about 50 U.S. cents. At one time we paid as many pesos for a small container of yogurt as we had paid for our house five years before!

A friend of ours in Bolivia went shopping for new shoes. He checked prices at several places in the market and decided to return to the first place. By the time he got back, the price had already gone up.

But during all the runaway inflation of Bolivia, one thing never changed in value. In fact, it has never changed its value for thousands of years. The soul of a single person who lived in Bolivia was worth more than all the world. The Bible says, What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36, 37).

You have one thing that is worth more than all the world—your soul. Have you considered where your soul will be when you leave this world? The Lord Jesus paid the greatest possible price so that you can be saved. He died that He might pay for your sins with His own precious blood. Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18, 19).

Inflation may change the value of everything you own, but the value of your soul will never change.

Have you counted the cost if you should gain the whole world—and lose your own soul?

Sorry!

THERE was never any doubt of their guilt. The two college students were caught by police as they burglarized cars on the university campus. When police searched their car they found stereo equipment linking them to eight burglaries at another campus over a hundred miles away.

Arrested, facing possible jail sentences, they were offered a "deal." A prosecutor would drop the charges if they completed probation and apologized. Accordingly, the two paid for advertisements in their school's newspaper and submitted apologies. One said, in part, "It wasn't worth it. I'm sorry."

Others have escaped jail terms by the same route: a teenager who sold cocaine, a lawyer who scuffled with a policeman, a convicted drug racketeer-a newspaper ad saying, "I'm sorry," has been the penalty.

But is it enough?

In the parking lot of a shopping center there was a crash—a sound of crumpling metal—and a driver hastily got out to examine the parked car he had so carelessly hit. After looking at the damaged car and finding it empty, he took out a piece of paper, wrote on it, and tucked it under the windshield wiper. Then he drove away. Soon the owner of the car came back from her shopping and saw what had happened. Shocked and dismayed, she turned to a man sitting in a car nearby.

"Did you see what happened to my car?" she demanded.

"Yes," he said, "I saw it all. He left a note for you on the windshield."

Visions of a big repair bill faded. Evidently the man had left his name and telephone number. Relieved, she opened the paper and read one word: SORRY!

Speechless, she showed it to the witness.

"Well," he said, "he said he was sorry; isn't that enough?"

"Sorry!" Her voice rose to a shriek: "SORRY! but who is going to pay?"

That is the point. "Sorry" wasn't enough. "Sorry" paid no bills, made no restitution. "Sorry" left the stereos ripped out of the cars; "sorry" would have left the woman's car as it was. (Happily, the witness had quietly written down the license number of the hit-and-run car, and we can hope that the driver eventually paid for repairs.) It is good to be sorry for wrong things done, to repent, even to determine to "do better next time," but there is still the question: "Who is going to pay?"

We have all done wrong things, broken God's laws, sinned. Is it enough to tell God that we are sorry and that we won't do it again? The Bible says that God requireth that which is past.

No amount of reformation will wipe out the sins of the past. There must be an atonement; someone must pay the bill.

Can we ourselves do that? Never. Only One could ever do it—the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to this earth and lived a perfect life down here—but that alone could not save a single sinner. He had to give His life, to die, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God.

God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). Yes, the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and now God can justify all who simply by faith believe and receive the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

And then? Then not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (Rom. 5:11).

Yes, Jesus paid it all!

Do You Need Sleeping Pills?

AFTER A RECENT HOTEL FIRE in Miami Beach some of the survivors were talking together. One said, "I couldn't sleep last night. No way!" Another said she hadn't been able to sleep either. "I want peace of mind," she said. "Where do you buy it?"

Probably the next step would be a trip to the drugstore to buy sleeping pills, the great American panacea. Statistically, Americans take more than 30 million sleeping pills every day. Thirty million pills—the equivalent of six heaping truck loads of little tablets—to purchase a little sleep. But peace of mind cannot be bought.

A health officer, deploring the use of pills to cure sleeplessness, said: "Few persons realize that insomnia is largely a symptom of some underlying disturbance which should be corrected."

In most cases, the "underlying disturbance" is worry. We are living in such a fast and confusing age that it is difficult—if not impossible—to keep up and to do all that is expected of us. Nor are conditions at home or abroad conducive to peace, confidence and security.

The remedy is simple and certain—but it cannot be bought. The prophet of old said of the Lord: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. (Isa. 26:3.)

HE KNOWS that the trials of the day are too great a burden for us to carry, so He says, Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.

The mind of the average person is so cluttered with philosophies, panaceas and cure-alls, that he has not the faintest idea what it is to trust in the Lord. It sounds so strange, so foreign, to be told that the Lord Himself took a body of flesh, blood and bones in order to be seen, heard and handled by His creatures. In Jesus Christ we actually have God... manifest in the flesh.

That is why He spoke as no other man ever spoke, and worked as no other man has worked. His greatest work, of course, was His redemptive death. He died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

We have all sinned, and sin is enough to make any conscientious person worry, but worry in this matter is of no avail. Forgiveness of sins is to be had by placing faith in Him who died for us. Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.

He also rose again from the dead and now lives to care for us. He is vitally interested in every detail of our lives. He knows that the trials of the day are too great a burden for us to carry, so He says, Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. (Psa. 55:22.)

Now by trusting Him, not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but also to carry our burdens, perfect peace can be ours. Taking everything to Him in prayer, with thanksgiving, will fill us with the peace of God—the peace which passes understanding.

Thinking of Him, and trusting Him to take care of our troubles for us, is vastly superior to trusting to sleeping pills to make us sleep. Won't you trust Him right now, and let Him give you perfect peace?

In a Prison Cell

Three months with hard labor," announced the judge. It wouldn't have been much of a sentence to a habitual offender, but to the first-time offender it was a terrible thing. Led away, he soon found himself dressed for the first time in prison clothing and left in his cell alone.

The full meaning of his position dawned upon him as he considered the result of his self-will and sin. The thought brought him down to his knees. Then and there he resolved that from that time on he would no longer serve the devil.

It was a good decision to make, but it did not give him the peace he expected. He discovered (as many have done before him) that resolutions for the future do not wipe out the sins of the past. There lay his black record. How could that be met?

"You ought to have prayed before you got in here," sneered the guard who saw him on his knees, "but perhaps better late than not at all."

He found two books in the cell. One was a book of instruction on how to live right; the other was a Bible. He anxiously opened the first. The writer, knowing little of God's way of salvation, advised his readers to fast and pray to secure a pardon from God.

Ah! thought that lonely reader, I have been praying without fasting; that is why I have not got the peace I want. I will fast as well as pray.

And he did fast. But, while he continued to do his allotted prison work, he found himself becoming weaker. Finally it seemed that he would not have the strength to stand on his feet.

He had done all he could. He had reached the end of his rope. He had resolved and sorrowed, prayed and fasted, but still he had not found peace. He didn't know anything else to try and the book had nothing further to suggest.

At last he picked up the Bible. It wasn't a familiar book to him, and he hardly knew where to turn. The book fell open at 2 Sam. 12 and the first sentence he saw was: The Lord also hath put away thy sin.

He still had to learn how God could do this and be righteous, but at that moment it was enough for him that God had spoken such words. It didn't matter to whom they had been spoken; he felt they were there for him.

He soon learned how God could pardon and yet be just, for that long-neglected book became his constant companion. He read of Calvary, and of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He read of His exaltation and glory too. That marvelous story of redeeming love opened his eyes.

All became as plain to him as the daylight which streamed through the barred window of his cell. He realized that his efforts to make himself good were useless and that guilt could not be blotted out by doing something. For by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. (Rom. 3:20.) For sinners to be saved, the atoning work of Jesus had to be accomplished. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7.) On this firm foundation he rested his soul.

He discovered that God could freely justify him by His grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, and that, though his sins had been great, the grace of God was greater. The precious blood of Jesus, the basis of all blessing, had made him clean in the sight of God.

You may not have had to stand before an earthly judge; likely you never will, but in God's sight you are still a sinner. If your sins are not covered by the precious blood of Jesus, you will stand before God's judge. Can you risk that?

None Good Enough, None Too Bad

In John's gospel chapter 3 we read about Nicodemus, the Pharisee, who found that his own religiousness was inadequate to take him into the blessing he thought he was earning by his goodness. When Jesus told him, Ye must be born again, it was a deathblow to all his hopes. So one of the most religious men, belonging to the most religious sect in the most religious city of the world, could not gain entrance to heaven by his own efforts. He could not make himself good enough.

In John 4 the best of blessings—living water—is offered to a poor guilty woman just for the asking.

In John 5 the friendless man at the Pool of Bethesda, too weak to secure by his own efforts the healing he longed for, got all he wanted when Jesus came.

What does all this teach us? Just this: if a man's own goodness cannot take him into the blessing, neither his badness nor his weakness, nor both put together can keep him out if he trusts in Christ.

The Decision

"Then she [Naomi] arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited His people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

"And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

"'Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

"And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me?... And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her "And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister-in-law.

"And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.

"When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her... So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her... and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest."

HERE ARE TWO entirely different people. In Orpah you have a picture of a person who prefers the world to Christ, and in Ruth you have the beautiful picture of a person who prefers Christ to everything. Which of these two people are you like?

Look at these two young people who say they will go with Naomi. Both girls had passed through the same sorrow, were in the same circumstances, under the same influences, and with the same example before them. Orpah had the same opportunities, the same privileges and the same advantages as Ruth, and at first they turn their backs on the world together.

They might have said: "We had everything—our cup was full. Now it is empty and we are desolate in the world. We want something living and abiding." They seem in earnest, too, and say, Surely we will return with thee. They seem so interested, like a heart almost decided for Christ.

Then, in effect, Naomi says this: "If you go with me, your prospects in this world will all be ruined; go back."

Worldly prospects all ruined! This brings Orpah to the point, and when this point is come to, there must be decision. These two had been going on side by side to the same place, but now a decision is called for. "I am not prepared for that," says Orpah. "I had not counted the cost; good-by, Naomi, good-by."

From that moment Orpah goes one way and Ruth another; the one is decided for God, and the other for the world, and they separate forever. Back to her own people and her gods goes Orpah. Hear what Isaiah says of those gods: gods that cannot save. What an awful picture of a person who turns his back deliberately on God and His Son.

You are like Orpah or like Ruth. Either, like Orpah, you refuse Christ and you choose the world, or, like Ruth, you say: "I cannot go back! You tell me the road is rough; I don't care. It is the end of the road my eyes are on. There will be stones in the way. I know it. There are problems in life. No matter—I will go!"

Where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God, said Ruth. The end before Ruth is God Himself.

They came back to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. What does that mean? It means that Ruth received rich blessing. Whenever your heart is decided for Christ, everything is yours. The Lord give you to have your heart so fixed on Christ, so pledged to Christ from this hour, that you may know you are Christ's and Christ is yours and all that He has is yours too.

But you must make the choice. You cannot lay aside this story undecided. If you have not decided for Christ, you are against Him. He that is not with Me is against Me. There is no middle ground. Decide for Christ now!

The Skipper's Way? Is It Yours?

NOT long ago I decided to go out in a boat. After we were under way, I said to the skipper, “Sir, do you expect to go to heaven?"

He looked astonished at the question, and said, "Yes, yes, of course I do."

"Will you tell me why you expect to go there?" I asked.

Carefully he answered, "Well, you see, I'm a pretty decent sort of a man. I've brought up my family; I'm not a man who is given to swearing. I don't drink. Well... I've had too much a few times, but I'm not a drunkard; I pay my bills on time."

When he paused, I said, "Is that all?"

"No," he said, "I go to church except in the summer when we have visitors who want to go on the water. I'm always kind to my neighbors; if any of them wants me, why, I will get up in the middle of the night to help them."

I said, "Is that all?"

Looking annoyed, he retorted, "Well, and enough too, I should think!"

"No," I said, "that course of action will never get anyone to heaven. God's plan of salvation does not include any good works that we can do." As I explained to him the grace of God and the salvation He freely offers, he just stared at me. He had not heard of salvation by Christ instead of by man's efforts.

This idea of self-righteousness is everywhere, among all classes of people. We must realize that salvation is not of ourselves: it is the work of God. No amount of "right living" will earn it for us; we have only to receive it.

It is the gift of God, and a gift is not to be earned or worked for! It is only to be accepted with thanksgiving. As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. (John 1:12.)

What Is the Way to Heaven?

People do not just happen to get to heaven. There is only one way there, and that is Christ. The "way" is not a path or road, but a Person, and that Person is the Lord Jesus Christ. You go to town by a road; you go to, heaven by Him.

If you belong to Him, and He lives in your heart, then you are on the way to heaven.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. (John 14:6.)

Fred, the Miner

A small group of coal miners stood by the office of a large coal mine. It was payday, and they were waiting for their paychecks. A tall man, black with coal dust, joined them, his pick on his shoulder and his lamp and hard hat in his hand.

"Why, Fred," exclaimed one of the men, "we were just talking about you. They say you've turned saint since last week."

"Or is it angel?" asked another. "If it is, you will soon have white wings and must never go down to blacken them in a coal mine."

"No, no, don't razz him," said a third miner. "He'll turn into a preacher and be preaching at us all."

"Good! Let him start right now!" exclaimed the oldest man among them. "Come on, Fred, here's your congregation before you; can you make out with this block of coal for a pulpit, and preach us a sermon?"

"A sermon! A sermon!" echoed a chorus of voices. "Give us a sermon! There's five minutes before they start to pay."

"Now then, Fred, mount the pulpit and preach us a three-minute sermon," said one. "I'll be clerk."

All this time Fred had not spoken, but just stood listening with a good-natured smile. Very quietly he stepped on the block of coal amid exclamations from the men: "Ah! what a joke it is! Fred Sharpe, of all people, turning preacher!"

"Well, fellows, I—" he began.

"No, no! That won't do for a sermon," they cried. "You must begin with a text, Your Reverence!"

There was a moment's pause, and then the miner began earnestly: "My text will be Christ's words to Saul of Tarsus: I am Jesus. For the last week those words have been always in my mind. You said, boys, that you wanted to know about the change in me, and I've been wanting to tell you what God has done for me. You may well say that Fred Sharpe is the last man you would expect to see on the Lord's side. Two weeks ago I was cursing and swearing and saying I didn't believe there was a God. Now—today—I can say I know there is a God, and I know that He's my Father; I know there is a Savior and that He has saved me; I know there is a Holy Spirit, and that He is willing to teach me."

By this time the little group of miners was listening in amazement as he continued: "Fellows, are you wondering how did all this happen? Well, I can hardly tell, but do you remember how Saul was changed into the Apostle Paul? Do you remember how he suddenly heard a voice speaking from heaven? Well, it was almost like that with me. I was traveling fast on the wrong road; I'd had warnings and kind words from my friends, but I wouldn't listen to them. Then God spoke to me!

"You have heard, maybe, that on last Wednesday I missed the last bus from town. For a wonder I was sober; it was a pitch-black night, and I had to walk that nine miles back. You know how bad the road is, and a bad time I had of it to find my way. It was cold and I thought I'd never get through.

"Suddenly there flashed into my mind a few words my mother—bless her!—once said to me. It was something about two roads, and the one that led to God being lighted by His presence. Then all at once came the thought: Fred, you are certainly not on that; your life won't bear God's light on it, and then, boys, I will never forget how I seemed to see all my sins before me. As I stumbled along in the dark my whole past life seemed spread out before me, and I couldn't stand the sight. I knew I was lost, not just lost in the night, but lost forever, and I cried out from my very soul, 'Lord, it's true, all true, but oh, Lord, save me!'

"I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly I remembered as a boy learning to say a verse: Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And I, who had cursed His name and mocked His people, heard Him saying to me: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. And with those words light came into my soul. Yes, and I was rescued, too, as you know, and brought home."

Not one of Fred's congregation moved or spoke as he continued earnestly: "And now, boys, I'm no preacher. I wish I were, if I could reach your hearts and just make you come to this wonderful Savior. He's standing by your side, and He says, I am Jesus, and Jesus means Savior. Oh, boys, you know what I've been, but He saved me just as He did the persecutor Saul, and I tell you, He longs to do the same for you. Oh, won't you let Him?"

The sermon was done. There was a hush as Fred stopped speaking and quietly slipped down from his block pulpit. As he did so, one of the men went up to him and said: "You said, 'Won't you let the Lord Jesus save you, as He has done for me?' and I want to say before them all, 'I will.' That is, if He will have the likes of me."

"Jesus said, Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out," answered Fred, grasping his friend's hand. "You've got His word to depend on."

Before six months had passed Fred knew that, through God's blessing on his words that afternoon, three of those men were happily serving and following Christ.

God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8.)

D-O-N-E

A man I knew used to say that it took him forty-two years to learn three things:

1. That he could do nothing to save himself.

2. That God did not require him to do anything.

3. That Christ did it all.

If you learn these three lessons you will never be concerned about your "doings." Your part is to admit that you are a helpless sinner, unable to do anything to save yourself. Your part is to stop thinking of being saved by anything you can do or feel. Your part is to believe that Jesus did everything that was necessary. He finished the work of atonement, and paid the ransom price with His own blood.

When you stop trying to be saved by your own efforts and put your full dependence in the Lord Jesus who did it all and paid it all, you become a child of God, an heir of glory, and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ.

To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Rom. 4:5.)

What Is Hell?

Old Judge Roberts loved the boys in the Bible class he taught, and their souls' welfare was continually in his prayers. The old judge loved the Lord, and his heart's desire for "his boys" was that they should love Him too. As his class assembled in the little classroom for the day's lesson, the judge prayerfully opened the Bible to the selected reading. Slowly and distinctly he read: "Luke 16:19-31. There was a certain rich man...." Down to verse 23 Judge Roberts read. Then, as he read, "And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments," automatically the judge himself looked up and glanced around the circle of young faces. All looked serious and thoughtful-all except one. Cynically, Dave Summers muttered, "Aw, what is hell?" There was a long, silent moment before the judge answered. Then, almost in a whisper but in deadly earnest, he spoke. "What is hell? Dave-it's HELL!" Throughout that morning and on through the day, the whispered word echoed in the mind of one boy who heard it. With deep conviction he realized that he had never accepted the one who alone could save him from such a dreadful destination-the one who loved him so much that He came from heaven to die for him. He thought of Calvary, and what it must have meant to that sinless Man on the center cross when He who knew no sin was made sin for him. He saw himself as the guilty sinner for whom Christ died. With broken heart he cried to Him for forgiveness, pardon and peace, and with thankfulness and joy he found that him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. Have you realized the awfulness of hell, the place that awaits those who do not receive Christ as their Sin-Bearer? Remember, hell is eternal torment, eternal night, eternal loss-the blackness of darkness forever. Accept the death of God's Son on Calvary's cross as your own Substitute. Receive Him who was crucified, laid in the tomb and rose again the third day victorious over death and hell. Now in heaven He longs for your salvation. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Accepting the Gift

I remember how hard I tried to live the Christian life. One Sunday morning I made up my mind to be a Christian, and I never doubted that I knew just what to do. I must stop doing some evil things. (Already evil things had a place in my life.) I must do good things. I must read my Bible more, pray more and repent more. Surely that was the right way.

So I began. On Sunday I did well. On Monday and Tuesday I almost succeeded, but on Wednesday and Thursday I made some serious slips. I gave it up in despair on Friday and Saturday.

But it didn't matter. I would begin again next Sunday. In self-confidence I thought I knew where I had gone wrong, and I could guard against the danger. So I read my Bible more diligently and prayed fervently—prayed until sometimes I fell asleep on my knees beside the bed. I watched more carefully and imagined that I repented more deeply. Still, I could not live the "Christian life."

Then came the wonderful Sunday when I heard a new speaker. I can only remember one sentence of his whole talk, but it was a living word for me: "All you have to do to be saved is to take God's gift, and say, Thank you."

Here was a new and great light. I had been trying to get God to take my gift, and trying to make it good enough to be worthy of His acceptance. But the gift was His to give, and I just had to take it. Simply and quietly that afternoon my heart turned to God and I took the gift for which I have been saying "Thank you" ever since.

The gift of God is eternal life though Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23.)

Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.

(2 Cor. 9:15.)

Believe

Two men stood side by side on the deck of a cruise ship, outward bound. One was a believer, the other unsaved but anxious about his soul. "What is God's way to be saved?" he asked.

Someone answered, “Pray to God, and believe on the Lord Jesus."

"Reverse that order and you have it," said the believer. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and praise God for the gift of His Son."

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:10.)

The Burglar Alarm

DETECTIVE KOLT was just half a block from the First National Bank when the burglar alarm went off. As its shrill siren sounded out, he saw two young men running from the bank. Another young man, in a car which had been cruising around the block, slowed down. The young men hopped in and off they went. It looked like a successful crime.

The detective, alerted by the alarm, drew his gun and stopped the car as three more squad cars screamed up. In the car were three scared young men and $210.00 in cash. All three young men were promptly taken down to headquarters. As they arrived they received a report from the bank: their burglar alarm had gone off by accident, and they quickly verified that one of the young men had just withdrawn $210.00 from his account.

The police apologized for their error, and the young men went on their way. So you see—everything is not always what it seems to be. Circumstantial evidence has wrongly convicted many.

The opposite may be true. For instance, you see a young man respond to a preacher's invitation to "join the church." He shakes the preacher's hand, answers all questions intelligently, and is then received into the church. According to form and ceremony, and to all appearances, he is now a Christian.

But wait a minute. The outward evidence is that he is a Christian but is he really one in truth? If he realizes his lost condition, confesses his need to God, puts his trust in the work of Christ on the cross, and receives the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior, then he is born again. He is in the family of God, and he is a real Christian. But unless he truly believes on the Son of God he is not really a Christian, no matter how many preacher's hands he has shaken or how many churches he has "joined".

How do you stand in this matter? Did you just join some religious organization? Or have you been saved by His grace? Can you tell?

He that believeth on the Son [of God] hath everlasting life—have you believed?

The Lord Jesus said: Whosoever... shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven—have you confessed Him?

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:10.)

And: If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Rom. 10:9.)

Saved by Grace

IF you want to understand what grace means, you must come to God as a sinner. God's infinite grace is for sinners. God does not bless those who deserve it—no one deserves it—but those who do not deserve it. The candidates for God's grace and blessings are sinners, unrighteous and totally unworthy. If we confess this to God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we are blessed.

The gospel does not bring a work to do, but a word to believe about a work that is done. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:23, 24.)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8, 9.)

The faith which saves is faith in Jesus and His blood. The believer trusts in Christ and the work He has done, and needs nothing else. Christ and His work of redemption are sufficient to put him in a place of perfect acceptance by God.

If we attempt to add anything of our own for acceptance—our righteousness, religious works or even feelings—our eyes are closed to Christ and we are off the ground of grace. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. (Gal. 5:4.)

Thank God for the gospel of His grace by which we are saved, possess an object for our hearts, and rejoice in hope of the glory!

Are you sure that you are on the right road? Are you depending on something you can do, or have you come to Christ to trust only in Him?

Wake Up!

Some time ago an express train ran into a commuter train at Windsor Bridge, Manchester in England. No one was seriously injured though the line was blocked for six hours. On the express train was a doctor sleeping soundly right through the accident. When the guard woke him, his first question was: “Who put out the light?" Glancing up, he saw that the roof of his compartment was missing.

Another passenger was found fast asleep in his berth some hours after the damaged train had been shunted at Pendleton. As a newspaper reporter wrote, "It is wonderful what some people will sleep through!" It certainly is. Some people have been fast asleep all their lives— spiritually asleep. They sleep on, unconscious of their need, their danger and the serious consequences of the sins that they have committed.

God has spoken to them. Trouble has been allowed to come to them: sickness, bereavement, business difficulties, financial loss, disappointments, family trials—all these have been sent to wake them. Still they sleep on.

Earthquakes shake the world; man's great systems go crashing into nothingness; the coming of the Lord draws near, but still they sleep and dream of peace and prosperity and good times to come. Terrible sleep! Fatal slumber!

Are you awake? We knock at your door, and ask you: What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God. (Jonah 1:6.)

No doubt you are wide awake to your interests in this life, but at the same time you may be fast asleep to the great realities of eternity.

Some people talk in their sleep. Talking during physical sleep is common; talking during spiritual sleep is even more frequent. One person says he is going to turn over a new leaf, and try to live a better life. He is "talking in his sleep."

Another declares that he has never done any particular harm, and therefore supposes that it is all right with him. He, too, is "talking in his sleep."

A third tells us that though we may be traveling by various routes, we are all aiming for the same goal, and that it does not matter what a man believes as long as he is sincere in that belief. Another instance of "talking in one's sleep."

Are you awake, really awake, to your need of salvation? Can you say, "I know I am awake. I know where I am going—I am on my way to heaven, a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus!"

Or are you, like the sleeping passengers on the train, still asleep and unconscious of your position? Time is passing—life is passing—there is no time to lose. WAKE UP!

The Fountain

Over all the world's places of pleasure is written: Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.

Christ said: Whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst. Whosoever will, let him take the water of life' freely. Have you drunk of that water?

An Offering for Sin

“Above all, the reason why I believed in Jesus is because He silenced the longings of my soul.”

Isaac, a Jewish boy, was brought up to read the Old Testament and to know God's law and His commandments and judgments. His life went smoothly except for one thing. He worried constantly because he knew that he was a sinner. He was anxious to get rid of his sins.

His teacher, a learned Rabbi, told him that his father would bear them for him until he was thirteen years old, and Isaac dreaded the thought of what would happen then. When that unhappy day arrived, he went to his father and said, "Father, won't you bear my sins a little longer, just a month more?"

But his father answered, "No, my son; you must bear them yourself now. I can do no more for you."

This was bad news to the boy. Hopelessly he went on reading the Old Testament, specially interested in forefather Abraham's history. He read how God had called him to leave his country and his people to go to a land which He would show him. The more Isaac thought about this, the more he felt sure that God was calling him in the same way. At last he made up his mind to leave home. His parents, seeing that his mind was made up, gave him their blessing and let him go.

First he went to Hamburg, then crossed to England, and finally settled in London. Here he met a German Jew, Rabbi Stern, who noticed his sad expression and said to him kindly, "Are you a Jew, my brother?"

This was asked so gently that Isaac opened his heart to him and told him his history and how he was burdened with the weight of his sins, which he had had to carry since he was thirteen years old.

Mr. Stern had himself left home and country to find rest for his soul, so he took the greatest interest in Isaac. He read to him the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah and explained to him that the Messiah, as foretold in this and other prophecies, had come and suffered for the sins of the Jews and for all those who put their trust in Him.

Isaac listened intently as Mr. Stern read through this wonderful chapter: He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.... The Lord hath laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.... For the transgression of My people was He stricken.... Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin.... He [Jesus] shall bear their iniquities.

Many times in the chapter the words sin, transgressions, iniquities, occur, and in each case they were borne by the Messiah, Jesus, of whom it was said: He shall save His people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21.)

Little by little the truth found its place in Isaac's heart. He believed the Scriptures and realized that Jesus, the Son of God, loved him, a lonely Jew, and had given Himself for him. His heart rested; the burden of his sins was gone, and he wrote home to tell his father what had happened.

His parents were very angry when they found that their son had become a Christian. They disowned him as a relative and refused to have anything to do with him. But Isaac was proving the goodness of God at every turn in his path, and now he learned the truth of a verse which he had read many times: When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. (Psa. 27:10.)

His faith and hope increased as the years went on, and he said to his friends, "Above all, the reason why I believed in Jesus is because He silenced the longings of my soul." He meant that not only were his sins gone, but his heart was satisfied.

This is what God will do for every one who believes in Jesus. He will forgive their sins and fill their hearts with peace and joy in believing.

He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. (Psa. 107:9.)

Many ask this question in their hearts. They do not doubt God's power, but they wonder, "Is He willing?" It is an important question, and only the Word of God can give the answer.

In the Bible in Luke chapter 5 we read of a leper who came to Christ. The one thought in his mind was, "Is He willing?" When he saw Jesus he fell on his face, saying, "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean."

The Lord Jesus responded at once. His tender, loving heart was touched by the man's misery and helplessness, and He stretched forth His hand and touched him, saying, "I WILL: be thou clean." Immediately the leprosy left him.

In His presence, and by His love and power, all need was met, whether it were a leper in his leprosy or a sinner in his sins. "I will: be thou clean" was spoken to the former, and "Thy sins are forgiven" to the latter. It is always so. Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37.)

”Pull Me up Janet!”

Janet had a "drinking problem." Her neighbors knew it; her husband knew it. Janet herself knew it, but she just could not overcome it.

One night as she wandered in the streets, disgusted with herself and miserably unhappy, she overheard a preacher speaking on John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

He was talking of the word "whosoever," and was just telling the listeners that this word meant all, no matter how bad they were or how low they had fallen. He said that even if one were a slave to sinful habits, the word was still true. Even for the very chief of sinners, God's love in this verse was for them.

Janet listened in amazement. Could a holy God love her? The Holy Spirit opened her eyes and heart, and she saw that "whosoever" meant even her. Janet accepted the Savior of sinners and received God's forgiveness that night. Rushing home to her sober, sensible husband, she exclaimed, "John, I am saved! John, I am saved!"

"What do you mean, Janet?" he asked.

"I mean, John, God loves me and I'm saved. His 'whosoever' means me!"

"No, no, Janet," he replied. "You can't be saved as easily as that, for it says in the Good Book that you must work out your own salvation."

"Yes, John, that's true, but you must get it first. I have got it, and I want you to get it as well as me."

Janet's talking was useless. John's mind was set that nobody could be saved as easy as Janet had said—by just taking God at His word. What could Janet do? She began to live as a Christian before her husband, putting in a word now and then to see if he would respond. The answer was still the same: "You can't be saved as easily as that. You must work out your own salvation."

Weeks passed. Everybody saw that Janet was a changed woman. John, seeing the change in his wife, began to wish that he had the same peace and joy, but he would not give in.

One dark night John went out to get some water from the well. Missing his footing, he fell into the well. Immediately he shouted, "O God, save me! O God, save me!"

Hearing his cries, Janet and a friend rushed to the rescue. They lowered a rope down to John in the well. Eagerly he grabbed hold of it and shouted, "Pull me up, Janet!"

Janet called down: "Have you got a firm hold of it, John?"

"Yes, Janet; please pull me up!"

They began to pull. When John's feet were out of the water, suddenly Janet let him fall back into the water. Coming up gasping and sputtering, he cried, "Janet, what are you doing? Do you want me to drown?"

"No, John, but I want to save you in your own way. I'll pull you up part way and then you must get the rest of the way out by yourself. I want you to work out your own salvation before I save you."

"I've been wrong, Janet. I can see now that I must be saved all at once. Pull me up, please."

Immediately Janet, with the aid of the neighbor, pulled John up. From that hour John, too, was a changed man.

John had realized for a long time that he was a sinner, but he had refused to yield to the Savior. His fall into the well made him cry to God and he gave up his stubbornness. Janet's prayers were answered, though in a very unexpected way.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8, 9.)

Personal Conversion

I was brought up to reverence the Bible. When I was eighteen I joined the church, and for twenty-three years I was a member in good standing.

During these years I often talked with the minister and was a close friend of several officers of the church. But I do not remember ever hearing the subject of personal conversion spoken of. Certainly I never was asked by anyone if I myself were a child of God.

Church progress and religious work, choir singing and finance, all these were talked about, but my relation to God, to Christ, to eternity, was never spoken of. It would almost seem as though many preachers have forgotten what they are there for, and give their whole time and energy to the mere framework of Christianity, neglecting the spiritual condition of their congregations.

One day I ate with a salesman I had done business with for years. Our conversation drifted into church matters. I remarked that "great progress has been made since I was young in the attractiveness of church services and hymns."

"Perhaps," he said, "but I question if the gospel of salvation is as plainly preached and the need of personal conversion insisted on as it used to be."

His statement astonished me. "Personal conversion" had certainly not been spoken of; I knew nothing about it. I was not even sure what he meant by "personal conversion."

When we met again three months later I was in real distress. I had been reading about the lives of some of the early Christians, and had found that they were all "personally" converted. I asked the salesman the plain question, "Are you a converted man?"

At once he replied, "Thank God, I am. I have been happy in the knowledge of God's salvation for more than twenty years."

Then he told me how he had seen his personal need of being born again, and how he learned that salvation was not won by doing good works, but by trusting in Christ the Savior.

This was all new to me, so I determined to go and hear a preacher who had the reputation of being plainspoken. He had even been known to ask some of his congregation if they were saved!

I shall never forget the upheaval in my mind when I heard that servant of Christ proclaim: "Salvation is of the Lord!" and, "It is all of grace, without price and free to all who believe."

A week later while I was reading John 3, verses 14 and 15, by faith I saw it, I believed it and I received God's salvation. Now I praise Him for showing me my own need of personal conversion and for His gift to me of eternal life.

Are you born again? Have you been personally converted? ARE YOU SAVED?

In the Dark

GARY LUTES had never been lost in a cave before. Twenty years a cave explorer, member of the National Speleological Society, he knew his way around caves—knew the safety rules, knew how to prepare for emergencies. So he filled his pack with food and water and extra flashlights for a short exploration with his two sons, Gary Jr., 13, and Timothy, 9.

On Monday he parked his car at the entrance to New Trout Cave and he and the boys began their spelunking adventure. Finding a small opening that led off into a side trail, Gary put down his pack to squeeze through the hole. Leaving the pack to be picked up when they came back to the main trail, the three ventured further into the enticing unknown passage.

Then disaster struck.

One by one their lights went out. White lights slowly turned yellow—faded—died. As the last flashlight failed, Gary Lutes and his two sons felt the darkness in the cave closing in, pressing in on them, a darkness so thick it could almost be felt.

Blackness of darkness forever is one description of hell, the eternal state of those who die without God, for God is light. Without Him there can be no light. There can also be no love there, for God is love. No light—no love!

The three in the cave had no light, but they had love in abundance. Having each other, they encouraged each other and took turns keeping watch for the rescuers. Sitting quietly to save energy, they prayed for rescue and recited Bible verses and Psalms. As day after day passed and hope faded, they were still glad to be together, each one happy to be with the others no matter what the outcome might be.

Not until Friday, four days after they entered the cave, did the search for them begin. Then, starting from their car parked at the cave entrance, some 25 cave rescuers and policemen began searching the cave. At 12:30 Saturday morning the pack was found, and an hour and a half later they reached the lost family.

Tired and dirty, hungry and dehydrated, how thrilled they were to get out "to see the light of day, even though it was night!" said one of the state troopers. Starlight—moonlight—lights from distant farm houses and towns—how beautiful it all was.

Lost in the darkness-some would have said their experience was "hell on earth." But no-love was there. And there was an important difference from eternal hell: they had hope. Gary said, "I prayed so hard I'd be given a second chance, and it came through."

There will be no second chance for anyone who does not avail himself of God's free offer of salvation now. Now is the day of salvation, when the night comes it will be final. Nothing will remain for those who go unbelieving and unsaved into eternity-nothing but endless night.

Sins Covered

It is no use for us to try to "cover" our sins! Scripture says that, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper. (Prov. 28:13.)

How is it possible to truly "cover" them since all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do?

God only can forgive sins, and He only can "cover," because we have sinned against Him alone and done evil in His sight.

The word from God Himself is: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. (Rom. 4:7.)

How that speaks to us as to WHO is the Coverer! It is He who can say of everyone who believes in Jesus: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. And again: And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

What a Coverer—the blessed God! What a covering—the precious blood of Christ!

Twenty-Three

Dan greeted the visiting evangelist with a challenging smile. "I'm not such a bad sort," he said. "I must admit one little slip, when I got into trouble with the police, but I can show you a pile of reward books which I got for attendance and good conduct at Sunday school! Then I went to Bible class, and later attended church pretty regularly. Not too bad!"

"How old are you?" asked the Christian.

"Twenty-three."

"Now listen," said the other. "You will admit that few days have passed that you have not had a foolish thought? God's Word says: The thought of foolishness is sin. Have you also said silly things?"

"Well, of course!"

"The Lord Jesus Christ said that, Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Do you sometimes tell lies, or break laws, or lose your temper?"

"Every day!"

"You have admitted three sins a day; this means that on the lowest average you have committed no less than one thousand a year. On your own confession, you stand convicted of twenty-three thousand sins!"

Dan's smile was gone now. Seriously, he asked, "What can I do?"

"You can do nothing but to take a sinner's place and claim the sinner's Savior. Then you may be sure that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." There and then Dan, a convicted sinner, trusted the Savior and rejoiced in the happy knowledge of sins forgiven.

Use the same method the evangelist used with Dan. Try to add up your sins. It will give you a very faint idea of your own guilt and show you how impossible it is to make yourself right with God.

Thank God, what you never could do the Lord Jesus has done. "IT IS FINISHED!" was His dying cry. Redemption has been accomplished. Faith in a once-crucified, now-risen and glorified Savior secures for you eternal blessing, for if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Rom. 10:9.)

Useless Advice

A man rowing on the river fell in and was in danger of drowning. As he struggled m the water, bystanders on a bridge shouted to him to try harder and not drown. One man ran for a coil of rope and threw the whole coil into the water by the man.

It is hard to say which was the more futile: the advice given by the many, or the help offered by the one. Both were inadequate In connection with a far more serious emergency, we hear of similar things being done. Sinners, exposed to the judgment that their sins deserve, are offered all manner of advice— advice as useless to those who are dying in their sins as the counsel given by the people on the bridge.

The drowning man was entirely helpless to keep himself above the water, and though sinners are urged to try and to struggle and to do their best, the truth is that they are not in a position to save themselves. What they need is not advice as to what they should do for their own salvation, but a Savior willing and able to deliver them from their danger.

The gospel message speaks of such a Savior, One Who has accomplished the necessary work of atonement—covering and removing sin from God’s sight—and left nothing to be done by the sinner Instead of vainly saying, "Don't be lost," and ''Keep on trying," those who are lost need to hear of the Savior: who waits to hear their cry for rescue.

What about the rope? It was useless because the well-Meaning man who threw it did not retain hold of the end of it. If the drowning man had clutched it, it could not have drawn him to safety.

Equally futile are the schemes proposed to the betterment of man's condition, whether social or religious. They have no link with the place of safety—or, rather, with the Person in whom safety can alone be found—the Lord Jesus Christ. To be linked with Him, faith is necessary. To believe in Him, to exercise true confidence in His love and power and the merits of His atoning blood, means salvation.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. 2:8, 9.

Don't Go, John!

The small sailing schooner was plying its way across the waters of the Caribbean. The little craft was laden with people, crates, boxes and bags. Even a turkey and a goat could be seen tied up on deck. The sun was dropping lower and lower in the sky, about to disappear below the horizon, as we sailed the beautiful deep blue water between the West Indian island of St. Vincent and the tiny island of Bequia.

Although aircraft fly passengers between the larger islands, the smaller ones are still served by these sailing ships. We were on board this afternoon with Bibles and tracts in hand to hold an open-air meeting on the island 10 miles away. An hour's sail brought us to land. "Safe passage," they said as we arrived.

After taking lodging for the night, we took a Bible and a large assortment of gospel tracts and papers and began our circuit through the village.

"There will be a gospel meeting at 7:30," we said.

"We'll be there," was the response.

"Gospel preaching on the road down by the beach tonight."

"Okay!"

At the appointed hour the gospel went out to young and old. Some were sitting on the sand, others on small boats, while many walking down the road stopped to listen to the old, old story of Jesus and His love and the warning of the uncertainty of this life.

An hour later two men came hurrying down to the dock to go on to the next island. The schooner, overfilled with passengers going home for the holidays, was just pulling away.

"Hurry!" one yelled as he jumped on board.

The other, just behind him, cried, "Don't go, John! Stop!" But John had already made the choice. He was on board and the boat was pulling quickly away. The gap widened between them. The moment of decision was past.

Sails were hoisted and away they sped in a happy mood. Bottles of rum were pulled out as they sailed farther and farther from land. Soon spray filled the air and some moved to the far side of the boat. Some say the captain was not at the wheel and the ship was not riding into the waves properly, but suddenly and without warning the boat rolled over on its side, dumping the 79 passengers into the water. The boat sank quickly with some people trapped down in the hold.

What a change now! No more light and careless talk. No more laughing and drinking-only screams and cries for help. Those in the hold remained trapped and perished. Others, still crying out, soon tired and sank to the bottom. Still others removed clothing and struck out to swim the four miles to shore. The tide being in their favor, 38 made it and dropped exhausted on the shore. How welcome a life preserver would have been!

How about our friend John? He couldn't swim and soon drowned. He sank beneath the waves, perhaps hastened by a belt filled with money still around him. John had heard the way of salvation through simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but had turned a deaf ear to it. We can only hope that in those last moments of his life he called upon the name of the Lord.

God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. (Job 33:14.)

Perhaps the Savior is speaking to you today. You may not plan to go out in a boat, but your tomorrow is just as uncertain as John's was. Yes, you might be in eternity before another day breaks, so be safe. Take the Savior as your own now. Own your lost condition and His saving power; then you can sing with assurance:

"It's done, the great transaction's done!
I am my Lord's and He is mine!"

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Rom. 10:9.)

Sinking or Rising?

HE is sinking," said the nurse as she watched by the bed of an old Christian.

"No! Not sinking! Rising higher," he whispered as he passed to the realms of light and joy.

"It is all dark—it is all dark," wailed a dying atheist. "Oh, for something to rest upon," cried another as he lay in agony.

In darkness, alone, unsupported and uncomforted—who would want an end like this? But there is "something to rest upon," if one will only accept it. The precious blood of Christ is the resting place—the only resting place—for time and eternity.

I cannot rest on what I feel; my feelings shift like the wind.

I cannot rest on what I have done. The best I ever did never pleased myself; much less can it please a holy God. The best actions of my life have been stained by sin and selfishness.

I cannot rest in what I am, because I feel I am the worst of sinners. I can only rest in the simple fact that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He gave Himself for our sins.

The eternal discharge for all my sins is written in the blood of God's own Son. His blood saves me from judgment. He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24.)

Thou Remainest

At the end of the year we are naturally reminded of the shortness of our life, and the speed of time passing. Time flies! We should be earnestly praying to God, So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. But our own brief life and its uncertainty turn our thoughts also to God’s everlasting and unchangeable being: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God. He does not change in the past the present, nor the future—the same yesterday and today, and forever. Christ is always the same. Friends change, home changes, we ourselves change, but God is ever and at all times the faithful God.

What a rest and refuge there is for all who trust in Jesus Weak and failing, with a sense of many opportunities wasted and of much unfaithfulness during the past years still we can cast ourselves just as we are upon our abiding, unchanging, faithful God.

We look back at the mercies of the past year; we recall its sorrows and its trials, but every memory only leads us to trust ourselves more to our God—our ever faithful God.

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27)

WHAT A RESOURCE!

Farmer John

John was a farmer in the area where I grew up. Although almost eighty he appeared no older than about fifty-five. When the time for the harvest came, instead of standing around telling the young men how to load hay in the loft he showed them and worked in the hayloft and on the hay wagon with more vigor than some men half his age. John had children and grandchildren, a successful farm and incredible health. He had lived through two world wars and the great depression.

One day my dad was talking to John and asked, "John, what is the secret of your health?"

John said, "Well, Bill, every morning I have a teaspoon of honey with my breakfast. I don't drink or chase women. I'm honest; I lead a good life; to me that's the secret of a good and happy life."

John did a lot of good and wholesome things, but was his good health the result of his efforts? He reminds me of a rich man in the Bible: And He spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21.)

John had a lot of things going for him, but he never acknowledged God as the one who gives us everything that is good, nor that God was responsible for his vigorous, good health. John was not rich toward God; he was trusting in his own goodness to obtain happiness. The Bible says, The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance, and, There is none that understandeth... none that seeketh after God... there is none that doeth good, no, not one.... There is no fear of God before their eyes.

One day John was working on the farm on the hay wagon, and he fell out. The farm hands figured John would just bounce up, but John didn't move—didn't speak. The farm hands called an ambulance and tried to help him breathe by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The ambulance soon arrived and took John to a local hospital where he was placed on a machine to help him breathe. They found that John's neck was broken—John would never again be able to breathe on his own.

I'm very sad to tell you that John may have died without being rich toward God. The end of a Christ-less life is an eternity in hell, and that is not what God wanted for John or anyone else. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.)

What about you? Are you trusting in your good works or good health to get you to heaven? Only by trusting in Christ as the Savior for your sins can you be saved. The Bible says that the person who does this is really rich towards God, for God says in 2 Cor. 8:9, For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.

The New Policeman

'I felt like a condemned criminal who could not escape.'

There was a new policeman on our beat. He was young and cheerful and always seemed so helpful and happy that we finally asked him "Why?" This is his story: "About six years ago, when I was twenty-five years old, I got married. I came home early from my beat one night soon afterward, and found my wife on her knees praying. I was so upset that I slipped out again before she heard me and thought to myself, 'Oh, to think that I should have been such a fool as to marry a religious woman! What shall I do?'

"I actually thought seriously of leaving her! I hated the thought of religion, but I was afraid to say anything to her. But while these thoughts ran through my mind, other thoughts came in and I began to think what an awful sinner I must be. I had never thought of praying in my life; I was completely Godless. Now I realized my sinfulness, and my conviction of sin grew deeper and deeper. I never mentioned this to my wife, but I got utterly miserable. I felt like a condemned criminal who could not escape.

"I did not know where to turn for relief until at last I thought of one of my buddies whom we all knew to be a 'good man.' Several times every night I met him on my beat and often tried to tell him my trouble, but courage failed me.

"At last one night in desperation I said to him: 'Oh, Joe, what am Ito do? I feel I'm such a sinner.'

"Joe's face just lit up, and grasping me by both arms he said, 'Why, Tom, I'd rather hear this than that they had made me chief. I thought there was something up these last few days. I noticed you were different down at the station.'

"Then Joe told me of Jesus and His precious blood that cleanses from all sin. Listening to him I got a measure of peace, but my soul was not really at rest. I was not fully assured of salvation. This feeling grew and grew until at last I considered myself as bad as before if not worse.

"During this time I was so intensely in earnest that I used to pray all the time on my beat. I even knelt down at night on the pavement crying to God to do anything to me—let me break my arm, or my leg, or smash me anyhow—but to let me know for certain that I was saved.

"About this time a gospel tent was put up by some preachers in my area. One night when I was passing, two of them saw me and asked if I would keep an eye on their tent. I agreed to do so and often heard them speaking, but being on duty I could not go in.

"One Sunday night I was specially miserable and as I neared the tent I thought I'd just go near the back entrance for a moment. As I came to the entrance I heard the preacher repeat the verse: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

"That was enough for me! Now I knew I was saved, and joy and peace came with believing. Now I could go home and tell my wife that I was converted and that we could rejoice together."

The same peace and joy can be yours too. Have you heard. God's Word? It is Jesus Himself who says: Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matt. 11:28, 29.)

Is My Religion Enough?

FIRST, what is religion? The basic thought of religion is the performance of duties. The word comes from the Latin root religio—a taboo or restraint—and is related to a word meaning, "to hold back, bind fast" (Webster), that is, to bind duties on a person.

There was only one religion given by God to man. It was the religion of the Jews as given to them under Moses, with all its observances and ritual. A person had to keep the whole law, since breaking one point of the law made the offender guilty.

Performance of religious duties may bring some a measure of satisfaction and may be done in hope of gaining some merit with God, but the Bible clearly says that salvation is NOT won through keeping the law or performing duties. By man's failure to keep it, the law of God condemned and sentenced all— everyone!—under sin, guilty before God.

If my religion will not bring salvation and peace with God, how may these be obtained? Christ Jesus by His sacrificial death on the cross bore the judgment of the law and so God can, righteously, offer pardon, peace and eternal life to all who believe.

Religion—our own efforts—is not enough. Only a personal faith in Christ Jesus as Savior gives assurance of salvation.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8,9.)

Christ in Japan

Soon after Japan was opened to the gospel, a Buddhist priest named Yohoi was present at a great ecclesiastical function in Niigata. A discussion sprang up among the priests assembled there as to the best methods of attacking and hindering the spread of this "new religion."

Yohoi contended that, in order to oppose it successfully, each priest must study its doctrines personally and become fully acquainted with them. To set an example to the others, he went directly from the conference and bought a New Testament for himself.

For months he studied it diligently, first delighting in its beauty as literature. Then, becoming convinced of its divine origin and true character, he saw his own sinfulness and need of Christ as his Savior. A few days after this Yohoi handed in his resignation to the chief priest, saying that he could no longer serve under him. Returning to his northern temple, he gave up his charge and set off on foot for Tokyo, a distance of 180 miles. Arriving at the capital in deep distress of soul, he sought out a Scottish Christian missionary who gave him further knowledge of God's holiness, His justice, and His righteous judgment on sin. So intense was Yohoi's own conviction of sin that this added knowledge only plunged him into deeper despair. He was even tempted to throw away the Book of God and return to Buddhism.

But he continued to read the beautiful writings, and the entrance of that Word gave him light. Burdened with a sense of his guilt before God, he came across the words of the Lord Jesus in Matt. 11:28: Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

These wonderful words, full of grace and tenderness, filled his heart with peace. All through the silent hours of that night he lay awake; he thought of them; he pondered them; he believed them. He experienced the rest of which the verse speaks. Yohoi was saved, and he knew it.

He did not hide his light, but confessed Jesus as his Savior and his Lord. He often delighted to tell of these words which were used by the Spirit of God in leading him to Jesus and in giving rest to his soul. But his greatest joy was to tell of the Savior Himself, by whose precious blood he was cleansed from sin.

You have probably been born in a land that is called "Christian." You have heard of Jesus, the Savior who is able and willing to cleanse you from every sin. Will you not, like Yohoi, receive Him, rest in Him, and know the joys of sins forgiven?

As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. (John 1:12.)

In the Beginning

In the beginning, GOD. Go back to the remotest point in the past that you can think of, and there HE is. You cannot get behind Him. Yes, and go forward to the most distant point in a future eternity, and HE is there also. You cannot get beyond Him. In the beginning, GOD. And in the eternal future, GOD.

King David, the writer of the Psalms, asked, Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? He answered his own question: If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell [hades], behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. That is equally true for us all today. We cannot get away from God.

And why should we want to? Where do we get this fear, this instinctive dislike of the very idea of God? The answer is simple. We are sinful creatures, and a guilty conscience makes cowards of us all. God is the God of truth and righteousness, and who of us can stand in His holy presence? Only those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.

If you can say, In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (Eph. 1:7), you do not need to fear God, nor have any desire to get away from Him. On the contrary, every thought of Him should be a delight to you.

But first of all you must be introduced to Him, and that can only be through the Lord Jesus Christ. His own words were, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. (John 14:6.)

Come honestly. That is absolutely essential. No hypocrisy can stand for one moment. Admit yourself to be sinful and deserving judgment, and accept salvation through the blood of Christ. Only in this way will you be saved.

Say from the depth of your heart:

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come!

Raised up Together … in Christ Jesus

As I approached the cashier at a gas station recently to pay for my purchases the attendant said, "How are you?"

I replied, "If I were any better I would have to be in heaven, and I am on my way."

A third man who was present remarked, "If you believe your Bible, you are already there. It says you are raised up together and seated together in Christ (Eph. 2:6)."

What a delightful surprise! I had wanted to speak to these men about Christ, and to hear such a bold statement from the Bible thrilled my heart.

Do you know what he was talking about? The first verse of the second chapter of Ephesians, from which the man quoted, says, And you...were dead in trespasses and sins.

The Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3.) Being born sinners, you and I need new life in Christ before we can be the children of God. We must be born again!

The Lord Jesus also said, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25.) These words, quoted from the Word of God, are the voice of the Son of God. Will you hear with your heart and receive the life the Son of God wants to give you?

God loves you and gave His Son to be your Savior. Jesus loves you, and is waiting to give you eternal life if you simply believe in Him and receive Him as the Savior for you.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. If you will simply take your place as the sinner for whom Christ died you will receive eternal life. It can then be said of you, too, that you are raised up and seated in Christ Jesus.

I'll Never Walk Again

She had been disappointed by a man. He had promised to love her always, and had gotten hold of all her money. Then he left her—an old, old story.

Without God, despairing, she had gone to the railroad and thrown herself in front of a train....

And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him [Jesus]. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. (Luke 5:18, 19.)

This is the account of a sick man who could not come by himself to Jesus. Four faithful friends picked him up with his bed and carried him to the Lord. The way, no doubt, was difficult, and when they came to the house where Jesus was, there was no opening through the crowd for them to bring him to Jesus. But these friends found a way through the roof! There is always a way for those who want to find Jesus.

The Lord Jesus saw not only the physical condition of this man but also—what was worse by far—his sins, and He said to him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. It is of first importance to know that your sins are forgiven; it is more important even than health.

There was once a woman who had no feet, but she too came to Jesus for the healing of her soul and she loved to tell the story of God's grace.

She had been disappointed by a man. He had promised to love her always, and had gotten hold of all her money. Then he left her—an old, old story.

Without God, despairing, she had gone to the railroad and thrown herself in front of a train. After a long while, when consciousness returned, she found herself lying in the hospital. She looked around the strange room, then tried to rise. A terrible shriek burst from her, a scream of despair. Both of her legs had been cut off by the train!

For days her cries and groans rang through the hospital, and she could hardly be quieted even by sedation. A Christian nurse was given charge of her. The nurse cared for the poor woman, in a quiet way, loving her and praying for her.

At first the poor invalid would pay no attention to her, but the nurse waited on the Lord to open the way to speak to this despairing soul. The moment came at last. "Oh, my feet! My feet! Why did I wake? Why didn't I die on the track? Why? Why?" After a pause: "Now I'll never walk again, never be able to go where I want. I'll be a cripple, eternally fastened to a bed. "

The nurse came to sit by her and gently held her hand. The unhappy woman was quiet for a moment. "Where did you go when you had good feet?"

The patient looked up and said, "In the morning to work."

"And then?"

"After work I went home for my supper, and then walked the streets and met my friend... " She began to cry brokenly.

"And then?"

"Then we would go to a party."

"And then?"

She tried to raise herself and said in pain and despair, "I strayed somewhere! Anywhere! I lived on the street."

"And if you had feet today?"

She wept some more. "It was the only life I knew. But now I'll never walk again—never—never—"

The nurse gently patted her hot, feverish hand and said, "There is one way you could travel yet, and it is the best and most glorious way. If you had good feet possibly you would not think of going this way."

"What did you say, Nurse?"

Now the nurse told her of the way the man with palsy went through the roof straight to the Lord Jesus and how he had his sins forgiven.

The invalid said no more; she allowed the nurse to carry her through the roof, as it were, to Jesus. That night she could not sleep; she was thinking of the way, the only right way, that even those without feet could travel.

The next evening the nurse was on duty again. The sick one was eager to hear more of the Savior of sinners. And the nurse was glad to respond, "I came to Jesus also, and He is mine and I am His." Then the moment came when the invalid too came to Jesus saying, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."

When He [Jesus] saw their faith, He said... Thy sins are forgiven thee. Thus she also, without feet, learned to travel the way to heaven. After this, in telling her story she would say, "It is most beautiful this way, more so than wherever I have gone before."

Now she tells others how she came to Jesus without feet, and how happy she is in traveling the narrow way. And she has become a guide for many to the Savior. Though she has no feet, she has a heart for the Lord. It is cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus.

Many have good feet, but stray away from the Savior. Do you?

Coming Tonight!

How good it would be if He came tonight!" At the sound of voices I looked up from the book I was reading. "If who came tonight?" I wondered. Were we about to have company?

Then I realized that they were speaking of Jesus and my instant reaction was, "Oh, no! It would not be good if He came tonight. I am not ready to meet Him!"

I knew well that Jesus is coming back again, and I knew that only those whose sins are forgiven will go to be with Him and that those who are not ready will be left behind for judgment. But—"coming tonight!" Somehow I hadn't even thought that possible. And as for death, I was young and would live for many years.

After thinking it over for a few minutes I decided, "There's plenty of time," and turned back to my book. But I could not get interested in it again; the words, "Coming tonight! Coming tonight!" kept ringing in my ears.

Those words just stayed with me, and instead of getting rid of the feeling I began to realize the danger I was in. I used to think I was no worse than others, and a great deal better than some, and though I knew I was not saved I really meant to be—some day. But what if that were true: He's coming tonight! Many nights I lay awake, afraid to go to sleep for fear that Jesus should come in the night and leave me behind.

I went to a gospel meeting. Usually I had been glad to slip away as quickly as possible, but that night I listened to every word as if for my life. Afterward a man said to me, "Do you know Jesus?"

I admitted that I didn't, but said I would like to!

He opened the Bible and read: He was wounded for [my] transgressions, He was bruised for [my] iniquities: the chastisement of [my] peace was upon Him; and with His stripes [I am] healed. (Isa. 53:5.)

That night I learned that Jesus had died, but I could not say that I was saved. I tried to feel saved, and to act saved, but I did not really know. This went on for weeks. On Sundays I was hoping; on Mondays I was doubting. At last I was almost despairing of ever knowing the peace I longed for.

Finally I shut myself in my room and told Jesus I had tried to make myself better and I had failed. Would He just take me as I was? As I knelt there in the deep consciousness that I was in the presence of God, the words from Isaiah came into my mind: I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. (Isa. 43:1.)

This time I did not doubt; I just believed God. Joy—such joy as I cannot describe nor can you understand unless you have experienced it yourself—filled my heart. I wanted everybody to know that Jesus was my very own personal Savior!

Now I know more surely than ever that Jesus is coming, coming soon, but still in love and mercy He is waiting for you to come to Him and trust Him also.

The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven... and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. (1 Thess. 4:16, 17.)

When I Met My Savior

My heart was sad till I met Jesus,

My friends were gone and life seemed vain,

I sought for riches and for glory,

Each joy had turned to grief and pain.

I scoffed at those who spoke of Jesus,

I laughed at those who stopped to pray,

Until I failed in search of honor,

And glittering idols turned to clay.

The years I spent in useless pleasure,

The hours I lived in idle play,

Seemed worthless and my heart was breaking,

I longed to know a better way.

Then one day I met my Savior,

Met Him in the twilight dim;

Joy filled my soul and sorrow vanished,

And I'm happy since His love came in.

Why Delay?

Long ago the army of one nation was marching to war against that of another. The general of one army sent a message to the leader of the other demanding unconditional surrender. The reply came back: "I will think about it: On receiving this answer the general smiled grimly. Turning to his staff he said, "Aha! Let him think! While he thinks, we will march."

At last, when it was too late, when his army had been lost to the marching enemy and he himself was a prisoner, the thinking general wished he had acted instead.

One of the most brazen lies which Satan uses to delude men and women is this: "You have plenty of time to think about salvation."

While his dupes are swallowing this bait he is congratulating himself on their folly. Scornfully he is saying to Death: "Let them think! While they are thinking, we will march."

Unnoticed, Death—firm, certain, inevitable death—is drawing nearer and nearer. Meanwhile, a Voice is uttering the warning to procrastinating men and women, To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

And Jesus Christ, in tender love and sorrow, is crying, How often would I have gathered [you]... but [you] would not.

How long must you

"think about it"?

God's Grace

I was told I had advanced cancer, and the doctors would try to do what they could for me without much hope of success....

Two years ago a young man, 29 years old, had a job working in a greenhouse. He was living only for this life, with no thought of God. But suddenly everything changed.

"One day, with little warning," he wrote, "I was hospitalized with severe back pain. After a number of tests I was told I had advanced cancer, and the doctors would try to do what they could for me without much hope of success.

"My first reaction was to commit suicide to avoid the suffering that awaited me. But then I began to wonder: where would I go afterward? I didn't want to end up in hell! And I doubted if I would go to heaven, since I had lived all my life only for myself.

"A friend came into my room and told me of God's love for me. That gave me hope. After his visit I asked doctors where I might go for the best treatment, and I was referred to a research hospital where I spent endless months of treatment and suffering. I felt God was not with me at all, since I prayed for the back pain to go away and got no relief.

"I knew I needed surgery to remove the tumor, and doctors also wanted to do back surgery. At last I consented to removal of the tumor but no back surgery. I told the doctors I was still praying to God to take away the pain; I only wanted to be free of pain, not even caring if I would ever walk again.

"God did more than take away my pain! He even let me walk again! Miracles are still performed, even for those who are not deserving of His grace. Now I am actively involved in helping people who are terminally ill, and sharing with them hope through Jesus Christ. And I am writing this letter to share the joy of God's grace!"

Grace! God's wonderful grace! Grace and love that we didn't deserve and couldn't earn—grace that can take any sinner and give them eternal life—eternal joy—a place in heaven forever with His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is beyond our understanding; we can only wonder—and marvel—and believe and receive.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:8, 7.)

What More Do You Want?

A man told me one day how he got peace with God. For years his wife, a Christian, took him here and there to hear the gospel preached. He knew the plan of salvation well, and, being afraid to die in his sins, he became increasingly anxious to have peace with God.

"About three months ago," he said, "I stayed behind at the close of a gospel meeting and told the preacher what I wanted."

The preacher asked him: "Did the Lord Jesus die for you?"

"Yes, I believe He did," he answered.

"And was He raised for you?"

"Yes," he said again.

"What more do you want?"

At once he saw the truth. He accepted the blessing by faith, and he went away rejoicing in salvation.

The Lord Jesus Christ had died for him, and was raised for him. What more did he want? Surely nothing!

And what more do you want? And what more can you have? Surely nothing!

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Rom. 10:9.)

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:3, 4.)

Our Dream?

TWO BROTHERS, Raul and Sergio Gonzalez, each worked hard and saved every spare bit of cash. They hoped to get ahead by investing in real estate. They took their first step in this direction when they combined their savings and delivered a sealed bid on a building with six apartments which was being auctioned off. The building needed work—lots of it—but the two were capable and willing.

The dreams of the two seemed to be coming true when they received notice that their bid had won. The transaction was completed, and they became the happy owners of the property.

A week later, a city worker tacked a demolition notice on the front of the building. The brothers had unwittingly bought a building which was condemned to be torn down because of asbestos contamination.

Raul and Sergio sought to recover their money from the auction company. They claimed that they were not informed the building was condemned to demolition when they had bought it. The sales representative responded by drawing the attention of the brothers to a line in the sales brochure which read, "Rooms: 000."

He pointed out that by this statement they should have understood that they were not buying the building at all but only the land. The brothers replied that they had read that line, but since they could see the building, which definitely had rooms in it, standing on the property, they had believed the statement was a typographical error.

However, the situation was past straightening out. The sale was final. The brothers had spent their savings, placed their hopes and wishes on that which was condemned.

Raul and Sergio Gonzalez received a harsh awakening when they discovered that they had bought a condemned building. Many people are headed for the same type of bitter discovery, only on a far greater scale. Are you one of them? Are you living as though the only real estate you will ever know is on this earth? Are you seeking to lay up for yourself the pleasures, possessions and properties obtainable in this life with no thought of the life to come, with no regard for God? Then, when you die you will be ushered into a Christless eternity.

Why? Because a sentence of condemnation is written over you: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. You ignored the one remedy which was able to save you: For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned.

What is required of you? Only to see your sinful condition and come—come believing—to the Savior of sinners. If you die without Christ, you will have sealed to yourself an irreversible doom. Come to Christ today, so that you stand no chance of making a firsthand discovery of what it means to pass into eternity in a state of condemnation.

"First Pray!"

ONCE, having to stay for a few days in the country, I rented a room in a farmhouse. After being shown to my room, I was asked whether I preferred meals alone or with the family. I said that I would rather eat with the family and, it being just noontime, I was directed to the kitchen where the family—including the hired men and women—were seated around the big table.

The food was put on the table, and now a surprise was awaiting me. All rose from their seats, and the father spoke with an earnest voice: "The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfied the desire of every living thing. O God, our Father, bless this food, for Jesus' sake. Amen."

Everyone, even the small children, listened reverently with folded hands. I had stood with the rest for politeness, but I must confess that my knees trembled. It was all so strange to me.

After the meal all stood up again, folded their hands as before, and the father prayed: "Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever," and then each went to his work and the children went back to school.

I sat down to think about it, when the small boy of four years old came to me and said confidentially to me, "Tell me something about the Lord Jesus!"

I was embarrassed. Tell me about the Lord Jesus? About Him whose name I scarcely knew? How could I begin? But I must say something, as the little one gave me no rest, so I began to speak of sheep and goats, of horses and cows. That was not satisfactory at all! The child insisted that I tell something about the Lord Jesus, and he pressed me so that I had to answer, "Well, my boy, I know nothing to tell you about that!"

"What! You don't know anything about the Savior? And you so big! Then you won't go to heaven!"

Not go to heaven? That was a new thought! I went out and did not return to the house until late, to escape unwelcome questions.

At about nine o'clock in the evening I went back. As I expected the evening meal was over, but they had saved my supper for me. I began to eat, but there appeared my little friend who carefully watched my every movement. Looking disapprovingly at me, he said, "First pray, then eat!"

I could not pray, so the little one took his stand beside me, folded his hands and said, "'Lord Jesus, bless what Thou hast provided for us. Amen.' That is how you must pray."

He was then called away to be put to bed, but I could hardly swallow a bite of food.

The little fellow had scarcely gone when the whole household entered the room for evening prayers. A hymn was first sung, then they read from the Bible. Finally all kneeled down, including myself, and the farmer prayed. He asked God for many things in such a sincere, confident manner, as a child would speak to its father, yet so full of reverence.

All was so new and wonderful to me. I did not know how I felt. I hardly dared to lift my eyes, yet I felt the family was right. Later, in my room, I prayed for the first time in reality. My prayer was short: "O God, Thou God of this house, be my God also!"

The days which followed passed about as the first. When I asked how it was there was such peace in their home, they answered that it was because they had peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Gradually the light shone within me. I began to see that I was a poor lost sinner, on the way to everlasting judgment. The more I realized this, the more my desire grew for a Savior who could forgive all my sins and make me as the people around me. God saw my desire and heard my prayers.

Since that time I have known and loved Him as my Savior, known that He bore all my sins, and I long to go to be with Him in His home.

Is There a God?

THERE IS A GOD! A living and true God! He is Love, and He so loved men who were His enemies and rebels against His laws that He gave His own and only Son to save them.

Listen to what that Son said when He Himself was here on earth—the most wonderful words that men ever heard or will ever hear: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.)

Do you know this God of love? To know God is to believe Him, to trust Him, and to be saved by Him. This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. Is life eternal yours, or do you abide in ignorance of God, and in death?

Ignorance of God is an old story God's Book tells us of certain men who lived over three thousand years ago and said to Him, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways. Men do not want God. He is holy; they are sinful. They want to be let alone to sin, to please themselves, to serve the devil. Are you one of these?

Like a Child

ONE evening a preacher spoke of Christ to a small group of people. He was asked to talk to a middle—aged man who had remained after the service had closed. He had listened attentively throughout the evening, and now his face wore a troubled expression.

"Do you know the Lord?" the preacher asked him.

The man shook his head.

"Are you a sinner?" was the next question.

The answer was "Yes," spoken with deep feeling. It was evidently not the "yes" of carelessness, but of true conviction of sin.

"Well, if so," said the preacher, "what are you going to do about it?"

After a short pause, the man replied, "I'll say my prayers."

"That is of no use," answered the preacher. "If you could live a thousand years, and pray all the time, that could never save you."

The man looked dismayed at these words, and said: "What must I do then?"

God's answer in Acts 16:31 was at once given: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. In a few simple words Christ was shown as the Savior of sinners. It was pointed out that He had already done all that had to be done in order to clear the guilty.

The man's face brightened as he listened. He believed the Word of God and he received the gospel like a little child, claiming the Lord as his Savior.

The Lord abhors the pretension to goodness which man is so ready to claim, but delights to unveil the beauty and simplicity of His grace to the humble soul.

Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18:3.)

When God Said "No!"

FROM my childhood I thought I was in a general sense a Christian, but it was more a matter of habit and custom than of personal conviction. When the time came for me to start working, I had set my heart on a certain job abroad. A friend had told me what a great opportunity it would be. "Over there," he said, "the skies rain gold—and life is very pleasant."

It was such a bright prospect that I felt no effort could be too great to win it, so I worked hard to prepare myself for the job and prayed earnestly for help and guidance.

There was to be an examination before I could be accepted. I grew increasingly hopeful as the day drew near. I was long on my knees in prayer the morning of the exam. The questions all seemed easy to me, and I left the room confidently. The job was as good as mine!

But I failed! Another had even higher marks than I, and was accepted in my place.

I was completely baffled. Work and prayer had been in vain; all I had trusted in had failed me. The effect on me was tragic, and I just banished religion from my experience.

For many days I was under a dark cloud of depression. Then, accepting defeat, I tried for and got a job at home. It was not my glamorous overseas job, but I soon grew used to it.

Then war broke out. The foreign land to which I had hoped to go was overrun, the business wiped out, and the man who took the place I had hoped for was never heard from again.

The refusal of my prayer had saved me. I could only feel it was the hand of God that closed that door, and penitently I turned to Him for forgiveness. In prayer and quiet thought and in reading my Bible carefully, I found my way to the cross. I saw myself a sinner before God, and I accepted the salvation offered through the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

From that day I have enjoyed a wonderful sense of peace. I have proved that a life of obedience to God, lived in prayerful trust, is a life guided by divine wisdom and divine love. It may often be contrary to our wishes and to what we think is right for us, but God's refusal will always prove best in the end.

The Apostle Paul heard the Lord's assurance when his prayer was not answered: My grace is sufficient, and our Lord Himself in Gethsemane prayed, Not My will, but Thine. So too we must pray if we would be guided in the highest and best way, and since that memorable crisis I have always prayed:

"Thy way, not mine, Lord,
However dark it be!
Lead me by Thine hand—
Choose out the path for me."

How to Be Saved

GOD is holy and just. Though merciful and gracious He will by no means clear the guilty. He has said, The wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23.) How then can anyone be saved, for all have sinned, and all deserve to die the second death?

Scripture declares, Without shedding of blood is no remission. Sin must be atoned for.

Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all. He paid the ransom price and it has been accepted. Justice is satisfied, not by what you have done, but by what Christ has done for you. Because Jesus paid the price, God invites you to accept a free, full and present salvation.

It is a wonder that any remain in their sins when God has shown so clearly and fully in His Word how salvation is to be obtained. If you wish to be saved, hear what God says to you in the following verses: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.)

All that believe are justified from all things. (Acts 13:39.)

Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43.)

He that believeth on Him is not condemned. (John 3:18.)

Salvation can only be had by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Great Trip

It is called a “great” trip because it is made only once. It is not a round trip, for there is no return. It takes a lifetime, and the trip from the cradle to the grave. You and I are on this trip.

Though there is only one trip, there are two routes. One of them is narrow, and the other is broad. Every person is traveling on one of these two roads. And there are two conductors on the lookout for travelers. The first is "the Son of Man" who is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10.) He says: I am the way... no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. (John 14:6.) Has He found you yet?

The second seeker is "the devil" who walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8.) He bitterly opposes all who are inclined to journey on the narrow road, annoying and persecuting those who are already traveling on it.

The broad road promises pleasure, but its agents hide the fact that it robs and murders its patrons. Shun it as you would a poisonous snake.

The narrow road is not always pleasant, but it is perfectly safe. And think of the grand terminal of this road! We read about it in the last two chapters of the Revelation. May the God of all grace grant that you and I may travel on this road to its happy end.

Read Deut. 30. It ends with these words: I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.

Forest Fire!

On September 1, 1894, in the deep woods of Minnesota, a huge forest fire came raging into a little lumber town named Hinckley. As walls of flame roared towards them, the terrified inhabitants raced in panic toward the railroad tracks, the only clear pathway through the forest.

As they ran wildly away from the town and its buildings, some already bursting into flame, a passenger train was heading toward Hinckley, bound for the city of St. Paul. Jim Root, the engineer at the throttle, saw the fire and thought he could race it, but as he neared Hinckley he realized that it was too late. The trestle ahead had collapsed in flame.

Reversing his engine, Jim held his train there long enough to let the fleeing crowd of people clamber aboard—held it until the flames were surrounding his train. Then it was full speed backward toward the nearest deep water, Skunk Lake, six miles back down the line.

Through a furnace of fiery flames they plunged. Overheated air exploded against the locomotive, and glass was flying everywhere. The baggage car and crossties were burning.

Flying pieces of debris tore into Jim's face and shoulders; flame scorched his hair, face and hands. Faint from the smoke, he slumped into unconsciousness until Jack McGowan, the fire tender, threw a bucket of cold water on him. Gritting his teeth, he shifted the throttle back open and the train continued through the inferno with its load of screaming, crying and praying people.

At last, Jim could tell through his swollen eyes that they were at the lake. He slammed on the brakes and collapsed. The passengers tumbled off and broke down the fencing around the water and dived into its cool wetness as the fire roared over them.

McGowan and two other men pulled Jim Root from the cab. As they pulled his hands from the throttle, the skin stayed on the metal. They dragged him, badly burned, into the lake.

The fire passed, leaving the train looking like a skeleton of twisted metal. Jim Root survived, although scarred for life. His bravery and courage had saved many lives, but at a terrible cost to himself.

There is another who went through fire—the awful fire of the judgment of God upon sin. It was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who suffered on the cross—suffered more than we can ever know or understand—and did it to save others. (He saved others; Himself He cannot save. This was the taunt of the watching crowd at the crucifixion.) He too was scarred, and those scars make their appeal to this day: He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. (Isa. 53:5.)

The passengers on Jim Root's train accepted his sacrifice for them in deep thankfulness, and were saved from the fire. To accept the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus means salvation too: salvation from the terrible, never-dying fire of hell. The passengers were saved—are you saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

Far Too Easy a Way

MANY are puzzled at the simplicity of the Gospel. When it is presented to them in all its hilliness and freeness, they declare that believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is "far too easy way,' and refuse to accept it.

Thank God, it is an "easy" way of being saved. Well might the poet Cowper sing:

"Oh, how, unlike the complex works of man,
Heaven’s easy, artless, unencumbered plan.”

Though an "easy" way for us it is not “too easy” since it is obtained through believing in one by whom the difficult work has all been done—the Lord Jesus.

It was not ”easy" for Him to be mocked and insulted by men. It was not "easy" for Him to be scourged, spit upon and crucified. It was not "easy" in the moment of His humiliation and agony to be forsaken of God. It was not "easy" for Him to be wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. Though an easy way, it is God's only way of saving sinners, and if you are not saved in that way, you will never be saved at all. To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Rom. 4:5.)

"Make Me Good"

FROM the time I can first remember I was taught to "say my prayers" and to reverence the Bible. At times I longed to be "good," and like many others, I tried to make myself fit for heaven. Sometimes, doing good deeds, I felt quite proud of my efforts. Other times, my own miserable failures cast me into despair.

So I continued until I was twenty-one. Then a brother dear to my heart was taken from me by death. To comfort myself in my loss I filled all my spare time with a series of "good works" and felt that I must be earning God's approval.

More and more I longed to be pleasing to God. Day after day I asked Him to make me good, to make me feel that I was better.

One night I could not sleep. I took up a little book, "God's Glad Tidings," thinking it would be dry enough to put me to sleep quickly. It was a simple little book, but soon I found I could not put it down.

As I read I came to a quotation from Scripture: No flesh should glory in His presence. (1 Cor. 1:29.) This stopped me, and I thought it over. If this were true, how could I attain the degree of goodness that would be acceptable to God?

I read on: But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus. What? Didn't I have to do anything? Light began to dawn; for the first time I saw the value of Christ's work on Calvary.

With wonder I now read: Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Now I saw that the whole work was Christ's, and if I believed it was for me and received Him as my Savior, God viewed me as in Christ Jesus. Only in Him would I glory, and through Him as my righteousness I would find acceptance with God.

How simple, but how deep! My soul reveled in it then, and throughout the passing years it has grown more and more precious to me. In Christ I have found complete satisfaction and perfect rest for time and eternity.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1.)

?What Do You Say for It?

JIM Barton was proud of his little daughter, Susan. She was a pretty child, and made an appealing picture as she stood with a pleased, surprised expression, now glancing at a new coin that lay in the palm of her hand, now looking up into the smiling face of the old man who had just given it to her.

"What do you say for it, Susie, dear?" asked her father.

"Oh, she did say 'Thank you," said the old man as he patted the curly head. "Good-by! God bless you, little one!" he added, looking kindly at the upturned little face.

With a brisk step he moved on towards the exit gate, Jim Barton going with him to see him off on his return journey.

"Your little Susie has learned her lesson well, Barton!" he remarked.

"What lesson, Mr. Stacey?" asked Jim.

"To say 'Thank you' for gifts received! Have you learned to say 'Thank you' for all that has been given to you, James?"

"I hope I have, Mr. Stacey," replied Jim, wondering what his old friend could mean.

"God gave His Son for you so that, believing in Him, you should not perish but have everlasting life. Have you ever said, 'Thank you, Lord, for that gift,' James?"

Jim Barton was silent.

"Have you ever taken—accepted—Christ?" added Mr. Stacey by way of explaining his former question.

"No, I am afraid I have not." The confession came slowly, shyly, from Jim.

"Then of course you think no thanks are due from you. But isn't this just a little rude and ungrateful? If you don't want a thing when a friend offers it, you ought at least to thank him for offering it. Will you do this today? Just tell God that you are much obliged to Him for His offer of His Son, Jesus Christ, but that you can do without Him."

"Do without Him! Mr. Stacey! Why—why how—what can I do without Him? Oh, I never saw it like this before!" Jim's voice broke as he went on: "Can I be saved simply by accepting Christ as God's gift?"

"Yes, James; God says, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. It is not what we think, or feel, but what God says, and believing with the heart that Jesus is God's gift to us—a living receipt that our debt has been paid—this is accepting Christ."

Mr. Stacey silently lifted up his heart in prayer for Jim Barton. Then Jim, turning to his old friend with tears in his eyes, grasped his hand and said, "I do accept God's gift, and thank Him for it. And, God helping me, I will show my thanks in my life!"

Now let me ask you: Have you accepted the Gift of God? If not, what will you do without it—without Him?

God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to be your Savior, to die on the cross for your sins. All He asks is that you will accept Him. Can you refuse Him?

In the Twinkling of an Eye

WHAT a night that was, never to be forgotten, when these words took hold of my soul: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. (1 Cor. 15:52.)

That night was not the first time I had heard of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but that night for the first time the great truth took possession of my soul: the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back, and He will come in the twinkling of an eye!

These words were true! I felt them to be true! The Holy Spirit of God simply drove them into my very soul, and I began to realize the awfulness of my unconverted, unprepared condition.

As I left the room that night my alarm was intensified. A strange and startling sight met my eyes as I looked up into the heavens. Never before had I seen such a display of the northern lights. Streaks of brilliant light were flashing across the sky, and the awful thought came to me that the Lord Jesus was just about to descend into the air. I clung closely to a Christian by whose side I was walking, as though for greater safety, and said tremblingly, "I don't want to go to hell!"

"No," she replied; "it would be terrible to go there."

By this time the Lord had opened my eyes to see my lost and needy condition and in my distress I cried to Him. Before long I was able to rejoice in Christ as my Savior and Deliverer from the wrath to come.

How is it with you? Are you ready for His coming? Perhaps you have Christian parents and friends as I had. What a terrible thing if the Lord were to come this day and take them to glory but leave you behind! Remember, it will be in the twinkling of an eye.

I, in my ignorance, thought that these flashes of light in the sky were warning signs that the Lord Jesus was coming. No such signs will take place before He comes into the air for His people. It will be in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

No time to prepare! If you are not ready, you will be left behind to undergo the awful judgments that will fall upon the earth, and to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.

Oh, do not turn a deaf ear! The Lord is at hand! He will come in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. (1 Cor. 15:52.)

Was It a Lie?

THE wagons were rolling westward. Long lines of wagons moved slowly across the hot prairies, over the cold mountains, bearing settlers, miners, adventurers, hunters, trappers—all seeking something beyond. One was a company of Christians who hoped to take the gospel of God's grace to those in the West.

It was a company of Christians—plus Joe. Joe was not a Christian. Joe was a very bad character indeed, so bad, that in his own country there was a price on his head for murder. It was not safe for him to stay in his own neighborhood, so meeting up with the Christians, he asked to be hired as a driver of one of their wagons.

However, being in the company of Christians did not make Joe a saint! He hated religion. When the wagons stopped rolling for the Lord's Day (Sunday), Joe did not have to drive, so he would go off with his gun and spend the hours in shooting what game he could find. He would keep well out of the way of hearing the Word of God preached.

As the party went on their way, in the middle of July there came a Sunday so hot that Joe did not even care to go hunting. He laid himself down in the shadow of one of the wagons, carefully selecting that of one of the group who would not be expected to conduct the service.

But Joe had made a mistake. The one whose turn it was to preach was so overcome by the heat that he asked to be excused, and the owner of the wagon under whose shade Joe was sheltering offered to take his place. So the little company gathered around his wagon, and the meeting began.

Joe was lying in the long grass, half asleep, and was furious at being so disturbed. To lie still while hymns were sung and to see the hated Bible opened was too much for him. He would move. He stood up to go, but the heat was too great and he threw himself back down upon the grass. There he lay on his back in front of the preacher, his angry eyes glaring up at him.

"Lord, help me to preach to Joe," prayed the speaker as he saw the opportunity before him. Forgetting everybody else, he began to tell of the love of God to all His creatures. He told his hearers that, though God gave them rain and sunshine, food and drink, even life itself, yet they did not love Him in return. Instead of loving Him, they hated Him and His servants and His Book. But did He send the lightning and strike them down for their enmity? No, He had given His Son to die to put away their sins. He had shown His love to them, to the worst of them, even to the murderers, and if they would only believe in His Son He would forgive them and make them His dear children.

Joe's eyes were fixed on the speaker who, as he went on, watched the anger slowly fading out. Joe did not forget that sermon. One day, walking beside another of the men, he said, "Didn't the preacher tell awful lies that hot Sunday?"

"Lies, Joe? I didn't hear any."

"He said that God loved wicked men. Wasn't that a lie?"

"Not at all, Joe; it is in the Book. God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins."

"But wasn't that an awful lie, that the Great Father gave His Son?"

"No, Joe, it is in the Book. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Then Joe said, "But it must be a lie, that He was preparing the beautiful place for them."

"No," was the answer. "That is true too. It is in the Book. Jesus, the Son of God, said to sinful men whom He loved and had saved, I go to prepare a place for you."

Then Joe said, "If all this is true, I want this way of peace; I want this new life!"

That sermon, and the talk that followed, turned Joe from being Joe-the-wicked to Joe-the-Christian. He believed that God loved him and gave His Son to die for him, and joyfully he received Christ Jesus as his Lord.

The Prescription

SOME years ago a woman went to see a famous physician. She was a nervous and excitable woman, and had worried and fretted about her problems to such an extent that she began to fear that her mind was giving way. So she went to the doctor with a long list of her problems. After she had described them all and answered his questions she was astonished at his brief prescription: "What you need is to read your Bible."

"But, doctor—!" began the bewildered patient.

"Go home and read your Bible an hour each day," the doctor repeated with authority. "Then come back to me a month from today." He dismissed her without a chance of further protest.

At first his patient was angry. Then she thought that, at least, the prescription was not an expensive one. Besides, it certainly had been a long time since she had read the Bible regularly. Her many worries had crowded out prayer and Bible study for years, and, although she would have resented being called an irreligious woman, she had undoubtedly become a most careless Christian. She set herself conscientiously to try the physician's remedy. In one month she went back to his office.

The doctor smiled as he looked at her face, "I see you are an obedient patient and have taken my prescription faithfully. Do you feel as if you need any other medicine now?"

"No, doctor, I don't," she said honestly. "I feel like a different person. But how did you know that was just what I needed?"

For answer, the doctor turned to his desk. There, worn and marked, lay an open Bible.

Earnestly he said, "If I were to omit my daily reading of this Book, I should lose my greatest source of strength and skill. I never go to an operation without reading my Bible. I never attend a distressing case without finding help in its pages. Your case called not for medicine, but for sources of peace and strength and comfort outside your own mind, and I showed you my own prescription. I knew it would cure."

"Yet I confess, doctor," said his patient, "that I came very near to not taking it."

"Very few are willing to try it, I find," said the doctor sadly, "but there are many, many cases in my practice where it would work wonders if they only would take it."

The doctor died years later, but his prescription is still effective: Attend to My words.... For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (Prov. 4:20, 22.)

The House of Refuge

WHAT a raging storm! It was April 1886, and the little sailing ship, J. H. Lane, battled hopelessly against the roaring winds and crashing waves near the coast of Florida. Both masts were carried away and, driven by the wind and tide, she went aground on a reef.

Daylight found the ship broken up and her cargo, barrels of molasses, scattered up and down the shore. The eight men in the crew were in desperate condition. Worn out with their long struggle with the storm, they still faced death from exposure or starvation, even if they succeeded in reaching shore alive. At that time Florida was sparsely settled and there was little help to be expected.

But trained men had seen the debris, and they understood only too well what it meant. One man, Samuel Bunker, tied a line to himself and, with one end held by two others on shore, he waded out into the boiling surf to pull the exhausted sailors to shore.

Then what relief! Not only were the lives of seven of the men saved, but they were well cared for. They were given hot drinks, food, dry clothing and beds. After the long ordeal at sea, it must have seemed like a little taste of heaven to the rescued men.

Was it just a lucky break that the shipwrecked men were saved? By no means! Everything had been prepared beforehand. Ten years earlier the need had been seen, and all along that empty shore "houses of refuge" had been established. They were built for just such a shipwreck.

The houses, two-story wooden buildings, were stocked with food, clothing, and cots, and manned by live-in-keepers who were stationed there to give help to shipwrecked sailors. According to the log books, the men in the house on Hutchinson Island, to which the sailors were taken, went out on more than 34 rescues.

In the same way, when mankind made spiritual shipwreck through sin, God had His "refuge" prepared. The Lord Jesus came into the world and gave His life to atone for the sins of all those who will receive that atonement. That work completed, He rose from the dead and now lives forever. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.

Can you imagine those sailors refusing to be saved? It wouldn't make sense, would it? Nor does it make sense to refuse the salvation God now offers to all. It has all been accomplished by the Lord Jesus. Wouldn't it be wise to accept it now before your own life is lost in the storms that are rising in this world?

Fire if You Dare!"

YEARS ago in one of the Spanish-speaking countries in South America, a British subject was charged with joining in a local riot. He was condemned to death and was brought out before a squad of soldiers to be shot. Without avail the British and American consuls protested against his execution.

Suddenly, just as the officer was about to give the word, "Fire!" the British consul rushed to the side of the condemned man, wrapped him in the British flag and cried, "Fire if you dare!"

The American consul also wrapped around him the American U.S. flag and stood on the other side. The result was that the soldiers put down their arms and the man was delivered over to British protection.

This is a striking illustration of the sheltering value of the Savior's blood. The sinner who believes in Jesus is saved from the judgment of God against his sins, being covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1.)

The sinner who believes in Jesus is not condemned, but instead is redeemed... with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18, 19), and protected as one of God's dear children.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. (Psa. 91:2.)

But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18.)

It Was for Me

ONE afternoon a class of young girls was gathering in a little cottage for Bible study. One girl had been learning during the week the words of Isa. 53, and as she was walking along toward the cottage she repeated the verses to herself. They merely sounded to her like a lovely song or a pleasant voice—she had not yet understood the meaning of being healed by His stripes.

After prayer, with which the class always began, Mary stood to repeat her chapter. She said the first four verses, but when she reached the fifth verse, He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed, tears filled her eyes. Before reaching the end of the verse her head sank down and her tears fell on the open Bible before her as she cried: "It was for me—it was for me!"

The intense solemnity of the moment held the teacher silent. Then as Mary's tears still fell, the older woman said: "Let us thank Him, my dear, that it was for you."

They knelt down, and after the teacher had thanked the Lord for opening the eyes of the girl to see Jesus as her substitute, the tears were dried and Mary whispered, "Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for me and for taking my punishment." Then the quiet calm of being accepted by God filled her heart, and she had peace with God.

Have you ever experienced the joy of knowing that He was wounded for your transgressions, that He was bruised for your iniquities, that the punishment of your peace was upon Him? If not, you are outside in the darkness of unbelief and death. Until you accept the love of a living, loving Savior and see Him as your sin-bearer, there is no peace, no life, no joy for you.

Oh, believe this love that is yearning over you. It is stronger than death, and is as infinite as God Himself.

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [children] of God. (1 John 3:1.)

Examine Yourself

IT'S always possible that a person's health is not as good as he thinks, and a family physician usually recommends a periodic medical checkup to try to catch any undetected disease in the early stages.

Spiritually speaking, how about an examination? You can give it to yourself right now. There are millions of people who "feel" that they are all right with God, yet they have never stood before the x-ray of the Bible: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith. (2 Cor. 13:5.)

First of all, how did you get your religion? Was it inherited, or acquired by marriage or by joining a church?

The Bible says that there is only one way to be saved. All are sinners by nature: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. A person must realize that he is a lost, guilty sinner on the way to the place of endless punishment for sin. He must turn from his sin and accept Christ as his Savior, as the One who paid the penalty for his sin on the cross.

Then, do you believe that Christ's death on the cross is all you need for salvation? You cannot trust in your church membership or your good life; salvation is not gained in that way.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.

In the light of God's Word, are you saved? Or do you just have religion?

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

His Last Chance

In his eagerness... he let go of the rope by which he had descended—and it swung out of his reach.

There was once a poor man who earned his living by gathering eggs along the rocky cliffs. One morning he went out on his dangerous errand and, looking down from the summit, he saw a ledge jutting out from the rock below covered with a cluster of birds' nests. He fastened his rope to a tree which stood near the edge, and then gradually let himself down to the edge of the rock. In his eagerness to gather the eggs he let go of the rope by which he had descended—and it swung out of his reach!

There he stood on that narrow ledge of rock; above him was a height he had no hope of scaling, below him the waves of the ocean crashing on the rocks. As the rope swung towards him, in desperation he sprang upwards and by God's mercy he caught hold of the rope in the split second before it escaped his reach forever. Shaken and trembling, he drew himself to the summit and safety.

We can all realize the danger of that man's position; can we realize our own? We stand on the narrow ledge of life; above us is a mountain of guilt we have no power to scale; below us is the fearful abyss of unending death. But there is a rope hanging over us—a rope strong and sure, able to bear us up and land us safely. If we do not grasp it, how shall we escape? If there were some other means by which we could be saved, or some other method by which we could be reconciled to Him in whose hands our destinies are placed, there might be some reason on our part for rejecting the remedy which God's Word reveals. But there is none. Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

This great and glorious salvation is freely offered to you. Will you not come to Christ that you may have life? Now the door of mercy stands open and the voice of the Savior calls. Now, but who can say how long? Not forever. Not even, it may be, for many days more. As the Holy Spirit says, To-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts!

If We Neglect

IT is not said: How shall we escape, if we disbelieve, or despise or scorn so great salvation? It is written: How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?

Suppose a man has been poisoned, and a sure and certain antidote is provided for him. He does not need to throw it on the ground or trample it under foot. He has only to let it remain untouched by his bedside and the result will be the same as if he had destroyed it in a passion or flung it from him in contempt.

You do not need to be guilty of many and great sins in order to lose your soul. You have only to sit still and do nothing when Jesus stands at the door and knocks, to keep the door closed when He offers salvation—carelessly and indolently to neglect it.

If this is your course, how can you escape? On what good and solid ground can you rest any hope of escaping? God's Word plainly says: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Neglecting this salvation makes escape impossible and condemnation certain.

Jose, the Burglar

For one awful moment I thought he had seen me...

JOSE, once a burglar but now a Christian, tells the story of his conversion: One evening I broke into a house and, hiding myself under a bed, waited for the family to retire for the night. When they were ready to go to bed, to my horror, they all gathered in the room where I was hidden and sat down! The father came over to the bed itself, and for one awful moment I thought he had seen me. But he picked up a book and sat down to read to his wife and children.

They were wonderful words he read—I had never heard the like of them before. When he had finished he put the book back on the table and then the family knelt in prayer. I hoped they wouldn't see me under the bed! As I heard them pray, it seemed like they were talking to a friend in the room. I had never heard anyone talk to God like that before.

At last the family went to bed. When I thought everyone was asleep, I crept from my hiding place, stole over to the table and picked up the book. I didn't stop to steal anything else, but went out into the night with the book in my hand. It was a Bible.

As I read the Bible at home, I became more and more disturbed, yet I felt that in it lay the secret of true happiness. The day finally came when I confessed my sins to God and asked Him to receive me through the Lord Jesus Christ.

My life was completely changed. I wanted to live honestly. I knew that I should return the Bible to its owner, so I did so. The father of the family seemed even more pleased to hear about the story of my salvation than to receive his Bible back!

Jose, like those of old, turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven. This is what it means to be converted—"to turn to God."

Two things go together: a sense of God's grace and goodness which attracts, and a sense of our sinfulness which convicts. The prodigal son was truly converted. He said, I will arise and go to my father. That proved the attraction. Then he said, Father, I have sinned. That showed the conviction.

Are you converted? Have you turned to God?

"You Are Afraid to Die"

It was a hot corner in a recent naval action, and the uncertainties in such actions are great. In the crew was a sailor—we'll call him Jim—who was known on board as a careless fellow who bragged that he wanted none of God or of religion. There was nothing in them, and he could do without either.

A Christian sailor who knew Jim's boastings well was engaged near him, and could see that Jim's pretensions were not holding out against the roar of battle and the probability of a shell or a torpedo landing him in eternity in a moment. It was then just as he happened to pass him that the Christian looked Jim in the face and quietly but firmly repeated the words, "You are afraid to die!" No more was said by either. The action soon ceased, and their ship returned to her base with little damage.

The little group of Christians on board was gathered below a few days after for their usual Bible reading when, as they read, Jim came quietly in and took his place at the back of the group. Thinking he had perhaps come to oppose, no one paid any attention to him and the reading went on, but as nearly half an hour passed and Jim had not said a word, the reader, who was the same man who had spoken to him on the day of battle, asked what he wanted.

"I can't get those words of yours out of my mind," answered Jim. "They ring in my ears night and day. I am afraid to die; what must I do?"

A wonderful question! "What must I do to be saved" is a question that makes angels rejoice. It means that an immortal soul has wakened to the fact that it is lost. Have you?

Jim was gladly pointed to the Lord Jesus as the One who had done everything, and who was waiting to give pardon and peace to a sinner like him. There, on his knees before God, Jim believed in the Lord Jesus as the Savior who had died for him. He rose a saved man, no longer afraid to die.

Oh, the foolishness of trying to do without God—of keeping up appearances when conscience says, "You know you are all wrong." Jim now calls himself a fool for acting as he did, while he delights to tell of the Savior's grace that could receive, forgive and eternally bless a sinner like him. He recommends that you follow his example so that you, too, need not be afraid to die.

A Greedy Man

MRS. Ling and her husband were moving from Australia to Hong Kong. Her mother and her daughter, and her daughter's friend, were also traveling with them. At the airport she obtained her baggage carts, one for her mother and the girls and the other for herself and her husband. All through the trip she had carefully guarded the small carryon bag containing all their valuable documents and papers, including their passports and her daughter's school transfer records. Now Mrs. Ling set that bag also on the cart, trusting that it would arrive safely at their car which was parked a short distance away. She then hurried to take her daughter's friend to meet her parents.

On returning, she asked the porter how many bags he had and he answered, "Five."

"No, no!" she exclaimed. "There were three on each cart!"

"There are only two on this one," he said.

A thief had taken the carry-on bag! How true it is that while we are in this world we must guard all of our treasures, but the Lord Jesus said, Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... where thieves do not break through nor steal.

Everyone searched frantically, but it was of no use. Mr. Ling scolded the porter for not watching the luggage more carefully, but Mrs. Ling stopped him and said that it was all her own fault: "I shouldn't have left it on the cart."

She suggested that they should pray about it, which they did. When they arrived home they all went to their knees and prayed again, asking the Lord to help them recover the important papers which would be very difficult to replace. Mrs. Ling prayed many times in the days that followed, confessing all the time that she was entirely to blame.

After two weeks had passed with no sign of the papers, she began to think and fret and prayed less and less. She went to the consulate office and filled out all necessary forms to secure duplicates, which would be very expensive and time-consuming to replace. She began to feel her prayers were not answered, and concluded that God was punishing her for her carelessness.

Two days after her visit to the consulate a package came addressed to her. It was wrapped in plain paper and taped tightly shut. Inside were all the papers and documents that had been stolen! There was a note also, signed: "A greedy man." He said that he had spent $11.00 of what he had taken for postage to return the papers, for something kept telling him that these papers were too important to throw away.

The book of Proverbs tells us that a thief coveteth greedily all the day long, but the Lord, in answer to prayer, had touched this greedy thief's conscience.

In reflecting on her frantic efforts at the consulate office, Mrs. Ling said: "I didn't have the patience or faith to let the Lord work; He heard my prayers and answered in His time and way."

God does answer prayer. Like a human parent, it is His joy to answer the request of His children. But one must come and ask in faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God. He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Only a true child of God has the right to expect an answer to his prayers.

It is necessary first to make sure of our position in the family of God, to know that we are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Then—like Mrs. Ling—like countless millions through the ages past—like millions more today—we can confidently bring every need and problem to our loving Father.

In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6, 7.)

Isn't it great to be a Christian, a child of God?

?See How Much I Will Lose?

"See how much I will lose!" was the answer of a young woman to a gospel preacher at the end of the service. She had listened intently, and had been seriously weighing things as he spoke. She had many interests and pleasures, and she had put these on one side of a scale, with an indefinable something, "turning religious," "getting saved," or something of the sort on the other side. She came to the conclusion that the loss would be greater than any apparent gain if she were to take the step to Christ.

She was asked, "Did you read the other day of the big fire where a house was burned and an elderly woman at the top of the house was with difficulty rescued by a fireman?"

"Yes," she replied, "I did."

"Try to imagine," asked the preacher, "the fireman dashing into that room saying, 'Now, lady, you have not a moment to spare; come with me at once and I will save you,' and the woman answering, 'See how much I will lose if I come with you just now? I have jewelry and art treasures here worth thousands of dollars—must I lose all that?' The fireman would say bluntly, 'Lady, if you do not come this minute I must save others, and leave you to your fate.'"

She agreed that no sane person would be likely to say anything so foolish. Yet she was doing that very thing, and risking her immortal soul for the uncertainty of her present life.

Are you doing the same? Suppose you put in the balance on one side the things that go to make up your life and without which you think you could not live; and on the other side of the balance you put—Christ. What will you lose?

Your sins.

You may have your pleasures; you certainly have your sins. Do what you will, go where you wish, live as you please—you still have your sins, from which you cannot get away. Sometimes the thought of your sins haunts you, the knowledge of the penalty of your sins terrifies you, but still you hesitate, asking yourself, "What will I lose if—?"

Add it up yourself. Put all you have or can hope to have in all your life on the one side, and at the end write: eternal loss.

On the other side think of every possible trouble and sorrow that you can have if you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, and write at the end: life everlasting.

It just doesn't balance at all! There is no way to compare the two lives, but the Lord Jesus put the matter clearly when He was here on the earth: What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36, 37.)

The choice is yours—make it now for Christ, for life, for eternity.

Courtesy of BibleTruthPublishers.com. Most likely this text has not been proofread. Any suggestions for spelling or punctuation corrections would be warmly received. Please email them to: BTPmail@bibletruthpublishers.com.

Echoes of Grace: 1990

Table of Contents

He Kissed Me!

Christopher

What Is Meant by Believing?

God Loves You

If We Neglect

The Gift of God

She Risked Her Life

Do You Have a Comforter?

Inflation

Sorry!

Do You Need Sleeping Pills?

In a Prison Cell

None Good Enough, None Too Bad

The Decision

The Skipper's Way? Is It Yours?

What Is the Way to Heaven?

Fred, the Miner

D-O-N-E

What Is Hell?

Accepting the Gift

Believe

The Burglar Alarm

Saved by Grace

Wake Up!

The Fountain

An Offering for Sin

”Pull Me up Janet!”

Personal Conversion

In the Dark

Sins Covered

Twenty-Three

Useless Advice

Don't Go, John!

Sinking or Rising?

Thou Remainest

Farmer John

The New Policeman

Is My Religion Enough?

Christ in Japan

In the Beginning

Raised up Together … in Christ Jesus

I'll Never Walk Again

Coming Tonight!

When I Met My Savior

Why Delay?

God's Grace

What More Do You Want?

Our Dream?

"First Pray!"

Is There a God?

Like a Child

When God Said "No!"

How to Be Saved

The Great Trip

Forest Fire!

Far Too Easy a Way

"Make Me Good"

?What Do You Say for It?

In the Twinkling of an Eye

Was It a Lie?

The Prescription

The House of Refuge

Fire if You Dare!"

It Was for Me

Examine Yourself

His Last Chance

If We Neglect

Jose, the Burglar

"You Are Afraid to Die"

A Greedy Man

?See How Much I Will Lose?