Robert Brown was a young business man living in Detroit. He had prospered financially and was recognized as a righteous and honorable man. He was a good husband and kind father, and everyone knew him as a generous man, ready to give to any good cause. He had little time to think about religion, though he went to church frequently. But he was not saved and of him, as of young Samuel, it might be written, he "did not yet know the Lord." 1 Sam. 3:77Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. (1 Samuel 3:7).
Wearied by close attention to business, he and his wife took a trip to Scotland. They toured the country, finally locating themselves in a pleasant little village in the south. Every morning they went out for a walk; and having taken a longer walk than usual one day they turned into a little cemetery to rest. Mrs. Brown had brought a book with her, and soon Robert began to wander around the graves. Presently he came to a large flat stone covered with ivy. He pulled aside the leaves to see what was written there. To his amazement he read his own name, and saw that the one buried there had died at his present age!
Hastily replacing the vine, he passed' on; but the memory of his own name on the tombstone haunted him and made him restless and unhappy. He could not help but think of it and wonder where his soul would be if it were his body lying in the grave. He knew he must spend eternity somewhere:—if not in heaven, then where?
He had heard that, to be ready for heaven, it was necessary to be born again, but he knew that experience had not been his. This weighed on his mind so much that he soon returned home to Detroit, determined to prepare to meet God. He began to attend church regularly, but all seemed useless. Finally in despair he turned to a New Testament that he had and learned there that God had good news for sinners who are lost. These are some verses from God's Word that impressed him: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10). "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."... "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:6, 86For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)
8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). "Lost" he realized he was; and though not "ungodly" in the eyes of men perhaps, still God said it of him. He was a sinner, he realized, as the Spirit of God taught him his condition; and he confessed, "It's all sin, Lord, all sin!”
But, oh! the joyful news that Christ the sinless One had died for such as he, and that God could, through that work on the cross, pardon the guilty. Christ, raised from the dead, is a living Savior for dead sinners, and therefore the sinner believing on Him has eternal life. All this and much more he found in his Testament and gladly and thankfully rested his weary soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the lost.
Years have passed since that memorable trip, but Robert still tells from a glad heart of his awakening to the state of his lost condition of soul, and of the full and free salvation he received by faith in Christ's finished work on the cross.
If a sudden summons should come to you tonight, "This night thy soul shall be required of thee," would you be ready for it? Remember, you must meet God whether you will or not; and, prepared or unprepared, when the summons comes you must go. Then where will YOU spend eternity? At this moment God is waiting to be gracious and Christ is saying, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28). Refuse His call and you will perish forever.