IT was at a Sunday-school tea meeting when I first became acquainted with the girl of whom I now write. Our friends had sent out invitations for the children to come, and many came at the appointed time and place.
The meal having been concluded, and the children having sung some of their favorite hymns, an opportunity was given to me to speak to them, and as I did so, their bright faces seemed to beam upon me as they sat facing where I stood.
Turning to Luke 19 I took for my subject the 10th verse of that chapter where we find some of the simplest words in the Bible,
“The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Sixteen words of but one syllable each, but how much they contain! What a blessed message they carry! Let us think of them a little.
They tell of a Person. “The Son of Man,” the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One by whom all things were created, and who upholds all things by the word of His power. He was with the Father before the worlds were made, but for the glory of God, and for our blessing He became the Son of Man.
They tell of His mission. “Is come to seek and to save.” Leaving His glory, He visited this world, so that He might find wanderers lost from God. To do this, He must suffer for our sins, and die upon Calvary. Without this none would have been saved.
They tell of our deep need. “That which was lost.” We were afar from God, having gone our own way, land caring more for our own selves than for God’s glory. We were lost, and without strength to save ourselves. Thus we needed to be delivered by another, and only the Son of Man could do it.
Having spoken to the children of Christ’s first coming, I went on to tell them of His coming again; that the Lord Himself, who is now sitting at the right hand of God, is about to return for His loved ones, to call them to be forever with Himself. 1 Thess. 4, was referred to, which makes this so clear. There in verses 16, 17, we read that the Lord will come from heaven to take all His own to be with Himself, in His bright home above.
From this and other scriptures, I sought to show that when Christ came first, He came for sinners; but that when He comes back again, He will come for saints—that is, for those who are His own. In the past, He came to those who were dark and guilty—and all were that so He came for all; but in His future coming—and He may come tonight He will take only those who are washed from their sins, and made whiter than snow in His most precious blood.
I then asked the plain, pointed question, to all present,
“Are you ready, if the Lord should come tonight?”
We sang again, and the meeting was closed, for it was time for the young folks to get home and go to bed. As I bade them “good-night” at the door. I spoke a word or two to some of the children, and when Ellen was passing, I asked her name, and then said.
“If the Lord should come tonight. Ellen, how would it be with you?”
Hanging her head, and without making reply, she went on her way. But the question kept ringing in her ears,
“If the Lord should come tonight, how would it be with you?”
Knowing she was not ready, she tried to dismiss the thought from her mind, but in vain. After supper, she went to her room, and thought,
“I’ll have a good cry,” for nothing gave her rest. However, the words of a hymn we had sung came to her mind— “Weeping will not save me.”
She felt the words were true, and that her tears could not blot out her sins, so she turned to her Testament, saying,
The book opened at John 14, and her eyes fell on the words of the Lord to His own,
“Let not your heart be troubled.” “Mine is troubled, sure enough,” she thought, but still read on,
“Ye believe in God, believe also in Me.”
Looking up, she responded, “Lord, I do believe in Thee.” The scripture seemed to answer her, saying,
“In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so. I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself: that where I am, there ye may be also.”
At once the thought flashed into her mind,
“Why, I know what would happen if the Lord were to come tonight; I should go to be with Him.”
Thus the Spirit of God, who had first shown her, her danger, led her to a scripture answering the question which caused her such sorrow.
Two evenings later at another meeting for the children, Ellen was present again, and with thankfulness, could tell of a newfound joy.
When asked how she knew that Christ came to save her, she at once replied.
“O! you said on Wednesday that the Son of Man came to save that which was lost, and I knew I was lost, so I know He came for me.”
ML 11/05/1922