“For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Rom. 14:7, 87For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (Romans 14:7‑8)).
One day a young lady was out walking when her attention was drawn to an open-air meeting. The preacher spoke with much earnestness from Matthew 7:2424Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: (Matthew 7:24) of the “wise man which built his house upon a rock,” and of the other who “built his house upon the sand.”
He spoke as one to whom Christ was a living reality. He proclaimed Christ to be a sure foundation for eternity for every guilty sinner, and with no uncertain sound spoke of this foundation as standing every test of time and eternity.
His message was but little understood by her for she had not received spiritual instruction in her home, and had not attended meetings where the Gospel might be heard.
The message of the open-air preacher was to her as a strange story, but the contrast between the “solid rock,” and the “sinking sand” deeply impressed her.
After the gentleman had finished speaking, he handed her a little tract, “Is Christ Your Object?” which was nervously accepted. Nothing was mentioned of this incident in her home, for all then were unsaved, and deeply opposed to the gospel.
In her room, with barred door, the little booklet was read and re-read. Anxiety of soul followed, but she knew of no one to whom she could turn for help.
About three weeks later when crossing a bridge, her sunshade slipped through a partition in the boards and dropped to the bank below. On looking over the bridge she saw that street preacher, and requested him to kindly hand her the sunshade; this he did. How she longed to ask him of this “Christ” the tract was so full of, but fear restrained the words and she passed on.
In the evening she again met the preacher; was this a mere coincidence, or the direct leading of God, who knows every seeking soul?
This time he addressed her, and the following conversation took place? “Are you not the young lady who lost her sunshade this afternoon, and also the one to whom I gave a leaflet a week or so ago; may I ask you one question: ‘Is Christ Your Object?’”
To his surprise, the answer came,
“Do you not know He died for you?”
“No, I have not heard that He died for me.” A few more words, and the conversation closed, leaving her more perplexed perhaps than before.
On leaving, he handed her a small Testament with the words, “Read John 17.”
This was taken home, and when alone in her room she opened it, and caught sight of two words only, “His Own.” With peculiar force the Spirit of God carried home these words, and they could not be banished from the mind. Almost afraid to read the Testament herself, and fearing lest any of the household should find it and take it, it was carefully hidden.
This soul anxiety continued for several months, when one day an old Bible was discovered in the cellar. Having heard the preacher say this was the Word of God, she took it to her room, opened it and read,
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways, saith the Lord.” Afterward the Bible was taken away, and she saw it no more, but she was searched by this word she had read, and her desire to know God’s thoughts and ways was increased.
The tract was her daily study. How deep was the longing to know something of the satisfaction in Christ—the living, risen Christ—that its writer had found. How deep the desire, too, to be one of “His Own,” and to know the thoughts of the eternal God.
Again the Testament was turned to, Matthew, Mark and Luke were carefully read through with a sense of the holiness of its pages, and then the Gospel of John. While reading from the 10th to the 17th chapters, her heart was deeply touched with the precious words, and as she read chapter 17, for the first time her eyes were opened to behold Christ as her personal Savior, the Giver of eternal life, and the One who ever pleads in the Father’s presence for “His Own.”
She hardly knew how to approach God, but there she knelt and said something like this:
“O, God, I do not know who You are, but this Book tells me I can come and be the Lord Jesus Christ’s very own.”
What strange, sweet assurance flooded her heart, and the calm joy of being “His Own” has from that day sustained her. A few days afterward she had occasion to give an order at a certain store, and among the staff, saw the open-air preacher. With joy she said,
“It is all right now, for I am ‘His Own.’”
With what joy, too, he shook hands, and told how he had been led to pray with earnest desire for her salvation.
Suffering for the sake of the gospel followed, but God has led and sustained and taught her, and she is now engaged in His service.
This is written in the hope that in these days when, among so many, the Word of God is lightly esteemed, this may encourage those who sow the seed of the Word to go on trusting the Lord of the Harvest to give the increase. It may be but a word spoken, a tract distributed, but if done to the Lord’s glory, He will bless.
It may be, too, that some may realize afresh the joy of being his property, “His Own.”
He in love gave Himself for us, by His blood He bought us, in grace He sought us, and He has placed us here to manifest that we belong to Him. For us He died, was raised, and now He lives for us, and, glorious hope, He Himself is coming for us— “His Own.”
Then let us seek to tell forth the glories, the beauties, that shine in Him, and God will surely bless us and make us a blessing, as He did the preacher whose testimony and tract was full of Christ.
“It was Thy great need of me
That brought Thee from above.
It was my great need of Thee
That drew me to Thy love.
A love like Thine, O Living Christ,
Needeth a love like mine.”
What an encouragement for all those who love our Lord to give out, or send out tracts—silent messengers—that shall speak to many after we have passed on our way, and let us keep in mind the fact that when a sinner is saved through a tract, it starts a circle for God that will continue to widen until the Lord shall come. And bear in mind that a soul saved is of more value than all the silver and gold in the world.
Thus we would exhort all the Lord’s dear people to engage in this work of giving or sending out these silent messengers for Him.
May the Holy Spirit mightily stir the hearts of His dear people to “scatter the precious seed,” knowing that “God gives the increase.”