JOHN THOMPSON was a humble fisherman, but he was also an earnest gospel preacher. He was at home among the poor in the slum districts of the big city.
One day at the close of a gospel service a lady came and asked him if he would preach in her house on Wednesday. He readily accepted, but when he found out that she lived in a very fashionable neighborhood and that the meeting was to be a scripture reading in the parlor of a wealthy home, he had some misgivings. Accustomed as he was mostly to hardy fishermen and to the poor of the slums he wondered how he could face an audience of aristocrats. He thought of several little ideas of his own as to how to conduct such a meeting, but nothing came of them. Then he said to himself, “If John 3:1616For 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) is good news for the sinful poor, it may after all be good news for the sinful rich.”
So he went that Wednesday, preached his sermon to the wealthy and got through. But when he left, he told himself that that would be his first and farewell parlor sermon to aristocrats.
Three weeks later the same lady came to him again and began, “Mr. Thompson —.” Thinking it was another invitation, he was just about to refuse, but a trembling in her voice caused him to listen.
“Mr. Thompson, I want you to visit a maid of mine dying in the hospital, who specially asked to see you.” At once he agreed, and set out. He found the young girl and asked why she had sent for him.
“Mr. Thompson,” she explained, “I have something special to tell you. I was a maid in the house where you preached three weeks ago. I had been sick for some months. I felt I was going to die, and I was not ready. Oh how I longed to know my sins were forgiven, and to be right for eternity. How glad I was when I heard there was to be a meeting held in the big parlor by a fisherman preacher.”
“I saw you come across the hall, into the room. I heard the door close. I felt, oh, there’s no hope now for a poor maid like me getting saved. Burdened and wearied, I longed for salvation, and oh, Mr. Thompson, I must confess it wasn’t right, but what do you think I did? About the middle of the meeting I crept up to the door, put my ear to the keyhole, and heard you just then urging those ladies and gentlemen to put their name into God’s great whosoever, and God would save them and satisfy them for evermore.
“That was just what I wanted, and standing at the door I said in my heart, ‘Well, if none of those fine ladies and men put their name in God’s whosoever, Margie Shields puts her name in,’ and right there the burden from my heart rolled away, and peace and joy filled my soul.
“Now, Mr. Thompson, I feel my time on earth is short, but I wanted to tell you that though I’m only a poor maid I can die happy, for that whosoever took me in.”
Thus the humble maid could join with many others, great and poor alike, and repeat the verse: “In peace let me resign my breath, And Thy salvation see!
My sins deserved eternal death, But Jesus died for me!”
Dear friend, why not like Margie Shields, and all the host who shall gather around the throne of God in heaven, say, “God loved the world, therefore He loved me?” “Whosoever believeth shall not perish, therefore as I believe I shall never perish” (John 10:2828And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)). Put in your name now.
ML-05/30/1971