GOD never refuses, man does, but God’s love is so set on man that He never refuses to help a poor sinner who comes to Him and asks for mercy, or for salvation, or for guidance, or help of any kind. Seek— find. Ask — receive. Knock — opened. Cry — helped. Call — answered; and many other words of loving hope may be written. These will suffice to prove our God never refuses. I was led to think of this yesterday when a dear, anxious mother met me and said, “I have something to tell you, our dear son is accepted at last; he has been refused and refused ever since the War began, but now he is accepted, and he is full of joy. From the first day War was declared he offered to go.” Only think what pain it must have been to be refused but in going to God and asking for forgiveness, He never refuses. Our Lord says, “Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.” It is quite true, you, whoever you are, you have only to ask for salvation and He will give it to you directly, and He will keep you moment by moment if you will only believe and trust Him. You have no goodness of your own — just take Christ’s goodness and put it on (see Rom. 13:1414But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14)). It is quite free and for nothing. Having forgiven your sins, He gives you His grace, justified freely. He refuses you nothing that you need.
A dear soldier wrote saying, “I have been a sinner, but now I am trying to do better.” “Poor, dear soldier,” I wrote back, “you cannot do anything to save yourself. All our doings are nothing worth, but take Christ’s goodness which He gives you, and take His hand, and He will keep you.” God never refuses His grace, which is sufficient for each and all. Directly we have received His grace we should begin to work for Him and strive to bring others; tell others of His love, or try to help others to begin to work for Him.
It was only yesterday a stranger was introduced to me. He said, “Is A. L. a relation of yours?” “Yes,” I replied, “one of my nephews.” “He and I were both at Cambridge together, and he asked me to preach in the open air. I said I could not. ‘Come along,’ said he, ‘you can at any rate give out a hymn or read a verse from the Bible.’ And then soon after he got me to speak a few words, and so it went on by degrees. Now I have been a missionary for years in India.” So, dear readers, do let each one of us do what we can to tell others how God never refuses to save, and how God will help each saved one to work for Him.
This puts me in mind of the beautiful incident in Bishop Tucker’s life. As a young man he was a brilliant artist, and one day, painting a picture of the miseries of the heathen, the Holy Spirit put this thought in his heart, “Why paint pictures of the heathen? Go and tell them the way to God.” In due time he went to Uganda and became its Bishop, doing splendid work there for twenty years. God will help each one who asks that he may glorify Him.
EMILY P. LEAKEY