At the beginning of the twentieth century, Jack Williams was the most wanted outlaw in the state of Minnesota. Many sheriffs were furious at him, not only because of the crimes he committed in their towns, but also because he always escaped from them.
Once he shot a man in a fight, wounding him badly. Women who had seen the fight ran out into the street pointing at him and shouting to the officers, “Arrest that man!”
With the sheriff chasing him and shooting at him, Jack ran to the edge of town, which was on the banks of the Mississippi River. There, a friend was waiting for him in his boat. Jack raced down the pier and leaped into the boat. Just as the boat pulled away, a bullet hit his leg, breaking
the bone.
Once again, he had escaped, but groups were formed that crisscrossed Minnesota searching for him.
Crippled, Jack fled to his father’s cabin in the woods. He reached it late at night, opened the door and crawled in. His father, awakened by the noise, lit a lamp and called out,
“Who’s there?”
“Father, it’s your son, Jack. I busted my leg and I’m hurtin’. Let me wait here for a doctor.”
For a minute the old man looked at his son lying on the floor. He knew Jack was a criminal. With anger and disgust he shouted, “This is my house and I want no outlaws in it! Get out!” He set his lamp down, grabbed his son, dragged him out the door, and left him on the steps.
The pain of being dragged across the floor was too much for Jack. He fainted. When he came to, he remembered a root cellar that was nearby that hadn’t been used for years. He crawled into it and hid.
Jack’s friend knew Jack had gone to his father’s cabin. From the root cellar, Jack watched until he saw his friend coming and waved to him. His friend had brought a doctor who set his leg. He also brought food and water and a kerosene lamp. Jack hid in the root cellar until his leg was strong enough so he could walk again.
Then, following little-used trails, he walked to the town of Brainerd where he robbed a store. Then he made his way to the headquarters of the Black Duck Logging Company.
The manager of the logging company was new to Minnesota and didn’t recognize Jack. Jack asked for a job. The only job open was far out in the woods of the back country. This was exactly what Jack wanted. He figured that would be a good hiding place from the sheriffs. He worked there as a lumberjack for several months.
One Sunday while the men were sitting in the dining hall, about to eat, the door was kicked open. A big, burly man named Frank Higgins entered. Frank was what the lumberjacks called a “skypilot,” because he went through the logging camps telling the men about the way to heaven through faith in Christ.
After Frank had eaten dinner with them, he stood up, pulled a Bible out of his pocket and said, “Boys, I have come to have a gospel service with you.”
Jack Williams would like to have walked out right then, but he didn’t want to make the stranger notice him and get suspicious.
First, they sang a few hymns. After a short prayer Frank began to talk. “Boys, I want to tell you today about a parable Jesus told. This parable is known as ‘The Story of the Prodigal Son.’”
Frank told them of a father and his two sons. He told them how the younger son took half of his father’s money and travelled into a far country to have fun. He told them that there he spent all his money and soon had nothing to eat. He told them how he came to his senses and decided to return to his father’s house. Frank read the verse, “He arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:2020And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)). Looking up at the men, he noticed a man at the back of the room who looked angry. Frank thought he was one of the meanest-looking men he had ever seen. Of course, it was Jack.
Frank continued with his message, telling the men how the story tells us the way God loves and forgives sinners. After his message was over, he prayed and went outside. In a few minutes, he bumped into Jack, who still looked angry.
Frank asked, “What’s the matter, friend? Didn’t you like that story?”
“That soft talk about his old man taking him in is a lot of hogwash, mister! I should know. I went back home when I was sick and hurt and my father dragged me out of the house!” Jack answered angrily.
“I see what you mean,” Frank said, “but you should have gone to your other Father first.”
“Not me, mister. I’m too bad for God to have anything to do with.”
“Now,” Frank continued, “when God says all sin, He means all sin! He doesn’t mean half of our sins. No matter who you are, God can forgive you and cleanse you from your sins, because Jesus shed His blood on the cross.”
Frank saw that Jack was listening. He continued. “God has promised that ‘if [you will] confess with [your] mouth the Lord Jesus, and [will believe] in [your] heart that God [has] raised Him from the dead, [you will] be saved’ (Romans 10:99That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)). I don’t even know your name, but do you know that you are a sinner? Do you want salvation?”
As Jack stood there listening, a sense of his own sins filled him. For the first time, he saw his sins as God sees them, and he hated them. He heard the offer of salvation as if God Himself were speaking to him. Tears started streaming down his face. “Yes,” he cried, “I want Jesus to
save me.”
The two of them knelt down and prayed. Jack’s soul turned “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:1818To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:18)). God the Father welcomed another prodigal son home that night. After that, Jack Williams lived faithfully for the Lord Jesus, serving Him and telling others of His love.
You may not have sinned as much as Jack did, but the Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). Because you are a sinner, you need the loving Savior as much as Jack did. Have you believed on
the Savior?
Memory Verse: “He arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” Luke 15:2020And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)
Messages of God’s Love 11/17/2024