We hear of fortunate men who, now and then, make wonderful finds. It is a rich pocket or vein of gold, or some jewel of great value, or some invention worth millions, or some sudden and fabulous rise in the value of an estate. Men who love money are ever on the alert in the hope of such a find for themselves. They will stake much of present comforts and necessities, if it but offer them a ray of hope for such a find.
Strange to say, this strong desire after rare and valuable finds which is almost universal in men, seems to be but a counterpart of what is true of God Himself.
What, you say, God after rare finds? What does He care for gold, and silver, and jewels, and rich estates? He could sweep man off the earth in an instant of time and have it all to Himself alone!
True, very true. So that is not the sphere in which God looks for rare finds. He looks for sinners, and when He has found one, it is great delight to Him—more delight than to a money-lover who finds millions.
Sinners! Why, man, the world is full of them. It is good people you have to hunt for; not sinners. Sinners are at your elbow everywhere.
Well, I was traveling by rail recently, and I met a man who had been spending the previous night in drunkenness and carousal. I asked him if he thought such a life as that entitled him to a place in heaven.
"O, we are all sinners," he replied.
"Yes," I said, "but what about you, your own self? Other people being sinners will not help you at the bar of God. You will not be arraigned there for your neighbor's sins but for your own, and your own only. What will you, answer there for your ways of the past night?"
And what do you think he said? Did he own his sin and confess his wickedness in the sight of God? No! Here is what he said,
"I'm not so bad as some church members I know."
He was not a sinner yet in his own estimation. He was not ready yet to take his place among those lost people whom the Lord Jesus came to seek and save.
"This is a faithful saying," says one of these, "and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief." 1 Tim. 1:15.
"They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:31, 32.
This man, though vile in character, was not yet "lost." He was not yet "sick." He needed not yet to be "saved." He was still more righteous than some church members he knew.
Reader, are you like that, or are you like the publican, smiting his breast and praying,
"God be merciful to me, a sinner?" Luke 18:13.
Or again like the woman at Sychar's well who found out what a guilty sinner she was and then what a Savior Jesus is? They were both among the rare finds the Son of God sought after when He was here, and is still seeking from the place of glory where He is now.
O, reader, do you not desire to be saved by the Savior of sinners?
"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.
"The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7.