Ramon worked in a book shop, and his employer had just scolded him because the books on the shelves, instead of being tidy, were in terrible disorder. Ramon was told to put them into the various subjects: Travel, Religion, Agriculture, Biography, and so on.
Ramon worked at it for some time, but after a while he grew weary of the job, and soon, with half a glance at a title, he would put it anywhere on the shelves. He had gotten nearly to the end of them, when he picked up a small black bound book. Opening it to see what it was about, his eyes caught the words; “A Sower went forth to sow.” Further down the page he saw, “Thorns... good ground... some 30, some 60, some 100 fold.” This must be a book on Agriculture,” thought Ramon, and placed it on its respective shelf.
Not long after a farmer came into the shop and asked for a book on soil and cultivation. Ramon pondered what to recommend on the subject; then he suddenly thought of that little black bound book. It would be just the thing. It would tell about seeds, cultivation and how to get good crops. So he got it down from the shelf. The farmer took Ramon at his word that the book was written for farmers, and bought it at once.
That evening the farmer sat down at home to look at his book, but when he opened it, he found to his disgust that it was a religious book. He had no interest in religion, and he threw the book into a cupboard. How vexed he was at that young fellow in the bookshop!
Some years after this when the farmer had a severe illness, and was unable to work, he asked his wife for something to read. She thought he had read all the books they had, but looking into the cupboard, she saw the little black book which he had thrown there years before.
“Have you ever read this?” she asked.
Then he remembered how the young man in the book shop had misled him and how annoyed he had been at the time. However, there was nothing else to read, so he decided he would have a look at it. He had no idea that it was a New Testament, but he started reading and, finding it surprisingly interesting, he read on.
Then he came to the words of the Lord Jesus, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He paused to think, then read on and on, hour after hour. It was all so new to him that he was fascinated by the story of the Saviour’s birth, and of the wonderful miracles which He did, and what He taught. Most of all, he was impressed at the story of His precious death on the cross and His resurrection.
When he came to John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37) and read those words, “Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out,” he remembered the invitation, “Come unto Me,” which had struck him so much earlier. By this time his hard heart had melted. “Lord Jesus,” he said, “I will come right now,” and so He who never turned anyone away, received him with those opened arms of love. That day the farmer found rest and peace in the Saviour.
Dear friend, have you ever started to read the New Testament thoughtfully? It is God’s message to you. You’ll find that it tells us that although we have not loved God, yet He loves us so much that He gave His own dear Son to die for us so that our sins might be forgiven and we be made fit for His holy presence. Not only that, but it tells us that when we put our trust in Him, we become children of God, objects of the Father’s love. Now we have a loving Father to turn to in all our difficulties; we can bring to Him our joys and our sorrows. Then one day soon we shall go home to heaven to be with Jesus in the Father’s house of many mansions.
What a treasure we have in the New Testament! Don’t throw it into a cupboard and forget it! Read it!
“Herein is love,
Not that we loved
God
But that He loved
us,
And sent His Son to be
the propitiation for
our sins.”
ML-06/04/1978