SAM was an African boy who, with some refugees, had been taken in by a missionary when war broke out between rival tribes. The missionary saw that Sam was a very intelligent boy, so he chose him to carry messages and to do other little jobs. But the missionary was soon warned by others to be careful, for Sam was a thief. It was not long before he found some of his things missing, and quite valuable ones, too. The missionary did not know what to do. During the Bible hours Sam sat there with a look of indifference, not pang any attention.
The missionary prayed earnestly for Sam. Then one day he called him and said to him, “I know you are a very clever boy; I want you to help me.” Sam looked very pleased.
The missionary continued: “I have lost quite a few things and I want you to find them and also find the one who has taken them.”
The next day Sam brought one article and said, “I have found this, but I haven’t found the one who has taken it.” The following day he brought something else and said the same words. Then he added, “How can one get forgiveness?”
The missionary replied: “Do you not know, that if we confess our sins, God is willing to forgive us because the Lord Jesus has died for our sins on the cross?”
Then he added: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isa. 55: 7.
The missionary also quoted to Sam Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23): “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The following day Sam came to his master with his arm full of valuables and asked him to see whether he had got all his missing things back. Then Sam said with tears: “Forgive me, I am the thief.” The missionary gladly forgave him and both knelt down to ask the forgiveness of God. There and then Sam gave his heart to the Lord Jesus.
From then on not another thing was missing and Sam did his work with singing. For him old things had passed away, and behold, all things had become new. His load of guilt was gone, for his sins were all washed away in the blood of Jesus; he was now a new creature in Christ. (2 Cor. 5: 17.)
When Sam grew up he became a missionary to his own people, and it was his delight to go about telling what great things the Lord had done for him.
ML-02/15/1970