Echoes of Grace: 1993

In South Miami after the disaster that Hurricane Andrew produced, the U.S. Military had a new mission. Accustomed to being sent out on missions to “search and attack,” the troops were deployed under new orders: “Find and beseech!”

They were sent into the midst of chaos, into miles of demolished housing with all utilities destroyed. Communities were so devastated that there was little to distinguish one street from another. All looked the same—nothing in sight but mounds of debris.

Into this disorder the military moved, setting up field kitchens and hospitals and shelter tents, establishing distribution centers for the tons of supplies that were being rushed to the stricken area. Everything was soon ready to give help to the survivors, but where were they?

While tents waited, empty, thousands upon thousands (an estimated 250,000 were made homeless by the storm) of people—men, women, and children—huddled in the wreckage of their homes, hungry and miserable. Frequent heavy rain showers and swarms of mosquitoes made life even more unbearable.

Help was near, but with no electricity and dead batteries in radios it was difficult to get the news out. Sometimes people only two blocks away did not know of relief efforts.

Something more was necessary, hence the new mission: “Find and beseech.” Find the people and beseech them to leave their crumbling houses or demolished mobile homes and come where there was food and shelter, help and compassion.

One spokesman for the military said, “They will go out into each block and neighborhood so they can put their arms around people and tell them it’s OK.”

So the military went out door-to-door (or “void-to-void”!) to find and persuade people to come to shelter, to dry beds and hot showers and three meals a day—to safety at last.

“Find—and beseech”—and the tents were filled.

It is so like what the Lord Jesus is doing today. He said, The Son of man [Jesus] is come to seek and to save. He has a home prepared, a home of eternal safety, and He invites—no, He beseeches—all to come: Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

The Army and National Guard had orders to go out and find the needy and suffering ones and bring them to the centers where food was being provided. God too has a feast ready, and His servants have been sent out with invitations into the highways and hedges. There are people hurrying along on the highway with a goal in view and apparently the ability and means to attain it; others seem to be trapped in the hedges, wrapped around with all the trials and perplexities of modern life and unable to make any progress. But the invitation is to all, and yet there is room.

One day God’s house will be filled, and the door to heaven will be shut forever.

“Come, for angel hosts are musing

O’er this sight so strangely sad,

God beseeching, man refusing

To be made forever glad!”

Prospects

How often, as a new year begins, we begin to think of our prospects for the new year. We all have prospects—some bright, some dark.

How dark the prospects of many are at this time! Uncertainty and misery are darkening the outlook of this poor world, and the hearts of those who do not know God must often fail them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.

Perhaps your prospects in this world seem bright, but what about the next? The Bible speaks plainly of another world—the world to come, whereof we speak—and another life beyond the grave.

All the prospects of men in this world are bounded by death, for it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Friend, you know not what a day may bring forth, but, however uncertain your prospects are in this world, they are certain in the next! Think of your sure prospect of leaving this earth. Will that be a happy prospect for you? God says it is a certain one, and He never fails to keep His appointments.

There are other prospects just as certain. Think of this one: Every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Can you face that prospect without fear? You may say, “I am not afraid to die!” But are you not afraid to meet God?

The good news is that your prospects can be entirely changed. Yes, changed from fear to joy—from darkness to light. This has happened to millions—why not to you?

All your prospects for ETERNITY depend on one Man, and your treatment of Him. Who is that Man? The Lord Jesus Christ. Though you may have despised and hated Him, He is the only One who can, with absolute certainty, assure you of a bright and happy future both in this world and in the world to come and throughout all eternity.

Jesus died to open up the way for forgiveness and life for mankind. He stands out before the world as the only solution for all man’s problems. He is truly the Saviour of the world and is the unfailing Resource.

He is waiting and willing to bless you. Then why not let Him do so now? Do you want bright and happy prospects? If so, turn to Him now, before it is too late, for soon He is coming to be the Judge of the world. Then it will be too late for blessing and bright prospects.

Accept Him! Trust the Lord Jesus now as your own personal Saviour, and then you will be able to sing with His redeemed ones:

“Lord, we can see, by faith in Thee,

A prospect bright, unfailing,

Where God shall shine in light divine,

In glory never fading.”

“Be it known unto you therefore . . .
that through this man [Jesus]
is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins:
and by Him all that believe
are justified from all things.”

Acts 13:38,39

"Ten Dollars, Man!"

I had given out some gospel books in the village, and as I walked on down the street I was overtaken by a prosperous-looking man. He spoke to me and said he was glad to see me doing such a good work.

“Are you a Christian too?” I asked.

“Do you see that building over there? We had a meeting for the Sunday school there last evening,” he answered.

“Then you must be interested in such matters. Are you a Christian?” I repeated.

“We had a collection last evening for the Sunday school,” said he.

“Really! But are you a Christian?”

“I gave ten dollars to the good work. Besides doing the school good, that is a good example, isn’t it?”

“Well, but are you a Christian? Or, speaking more plainly” (for he seemed a little deaf as to my question), “are your sins forgiven? If you should die this moment, are you ready to enter God’s presence?”

“Humph,” muttered the old man; “who knows that? Haven’t I helped the good cause for the Almighty?”

“Then do you think that God needs your ten dollars?” I asked.

“I have helped on the good cause,” he said. Walking along more briskly he repeated: “Ten dollars, man! Money!”

“Man!” I cried, “Do you mean to go out of this world offering God your money? He is freely offering to you the value of the precious blood of Christ, and you are turning from the wonderful gift of His own dear Son to boast how you dragged out a bit of money from your unwilling pocket.”

At this point the annoyed man turned off to another street, and as he went I could hear him still repeating, “I gave ten dollars to the schools last night!”

He expressed his own opinion of his good deeds and generosity, but there are many like him who imagine that money given to the collection on Sunday or a large subscription to a charity is, to say the least, one step up the ladder to heaven.

Not so! The Apostle Peter said to Simon the Sorcerer, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

God’s way is very different. Sin earns wages, and the wages of sin is death, but eternal life is the gift of God . . . through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Are you earning the wages—or receiving the gift?

Nicodemus

Many years ago there lived in the city of Jerusalem a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jewish nation. He was religiously connected with a respectable denomination called the Pharisees, a people zealous of the law and most attentive in keeping all the fasts and feasts.

During the Passover week when a great many strangers from all over the country were in the city, there was a considerable stir concerning one Jesus of Nazareth who was at that time in Jerusalem. He had been working miracles, and had thrown out of the temple a number of men who had been making a market of it. The denomination to which Nicodemus belonged was against Him, almost to a man.

Notwithstanding this, Nicodemus was not satisfied. He would not be led by public opinion, but was determined to go and hear for himself. So after it was dark one night he set off alone to have an interview with Jesus.

Before Nicodemus had been very long in the company of Jesus, he was told that except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

This shocked Nicodemus; he believed in men being religious and keeping the law, but of being born again he knew nothing. Then Jesus told him something else more startling: Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Not only wicked men, like drunkards and thieves, need to be born again, but also you—your own self!

This cuts at the root of all human religion. It does not matter how good people are, or what church they belong to; Jesus says they must be born again or never enter the kingdom of God. They may say their prayers, read their Bibles, and “do the best they can.” If they are not born again they cannot see the kingdom of God. It’s a must be, you see.

A man once told us he did not think he needed to be born again because he was brought up religiously as a Christian. Now, if any man could have gone to heaven without it, that man was Nicodemus, and yet to him the Saviour said, Ye must be born again.

What must one do to be born again? Not pray for it; not work for it; not try to love God, but receive Jesus Christ, the gift of God. Listen! God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, and as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.

When a person receives Jesus Christ, the gift of God, he becomes a Christian. In other words, he becomes God’s child.

Have you received Jesus as your own Saviour? Are you a believer? Do you believe that the Jesus who died on Calvary for your sins was the Christ of God—that He lived, He died, and He rose again, for you? If not, you are at this moment outside the kingdom of God. If you live outside and die outside, you will be out of heaven and in hell forever.

Straight to Port

Have you ever wondered how sailors find their way across the tossing waves? On land we can easily follow road maps, whether traveling in town or across country, but at sea one wave looks just like another.

Recently we rose early one morning just before dawn and watched two fishing boats making toward shore.

The white beam from the lighthouse and the red light at the harbor mouth were shining brightly. Steering the fishing boats was easy work when the lights were in view, but what about the many miles they had traveled from the fishing grounds with no guiding light in sight?

They had a tested chart and a good compass, and a skillful pilot who knew how to read both correctly. That was the secret of their sailing so peacefully straight to port.

What is the secret of peacefully steering straight to heaven? First of all, it is believing in and trusting to the best of captains, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has given you God’s holy Word, the Bible, which is an infallible chart.

If you have really believed in Jesus and accepted Him as your Saviour and Lord, you have begun the heavenly journey. Then, by listening to His voice and obeying His Word you will have a very happy voyage on the way. You will not only be headed for heaven, but you will be able to steer straight for port.

Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:21.)

Ungodly

He was an old, old man, sitting on his porch one Sunday afternoon. He had been reading in a large-type New Testament, and I questioned him about the state of his soul. I asked, “Are all your sins forgiven?”

“I can’t say they are,” he replied in a troubled voice.

Such an old, old man! Over the years his sins must have added up to a considerable amount—and still unforgiven! In pity I asked, “And how do you know they are not forgiven?”

“Well, you see, I’ve been reading this Testament, but somehow I don’t seem to understand it.”

Taking the Book, I turned to Romans 5 and pointed to verse 6: Christ died for the ungodly.

“Now, for whom did Christ die?”

“Why, for all of us.”

“But was it for you? Look at this verse again. What does that last word mean—the ungodly? Are you ungodly?”

The word startled him and, like many others, he began to try to prove that he was fairly good.

“I’m not so very bad.”

Now, the Bible does not mention Not-so-very-bad! The Not-so-very-bads are to be found in every town, in every church, in almost every house. But there are none by that name in heaven, nor are they spoken of in God’s proclamation of grace.

You see, this verse says, Christ died for the ungodly. Is that your name? Admit it, and receive the blessings obtained by Christ’s death.

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, but, though God hates ungodliness, He loves the ungodly and, that He might show God’s love, Christ took upon Himself the penalty of ungodliness, that the ungodly might believe and be saved.

“Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners.”

1 Timothy 1:15

He Knows the Way

I know not what the New Year

Holds in store! I cannot tell;

But Jesus is my Shepherd, and

He will do all things well.

I know not what a day may bring!

One step I cannot see;

But Jesus knows the pathway, and

He’s leading you and me.

I know He’s going on before

To be my daily Guide;

And He will not forsake His child

Whatever may betide.

If sorrow, burdens, troubles, care,

Tomorrow I must face,

I know He has abundant power

To give sufficient grace.

I know that happiness and joy

‘Tis His delight to bring;

For everything I bless His name,

And grateful praises sing.

It is enough that Jesus knows

The path from day to day,

For He will take me by the hand

And lead me all the way.

H that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24

Why Not Know?

Can it be right for me to go

On in this dark, uncertain way;

Say “I believe” and yet not know

Whether my sins are put away?

Not know my trespasses forgiven

Until I meet Him in the air?

Not know that I shall get to heaven

Until I wake and find me there?

Must clouds and darkness veil my brow

Until I dwell with saints in light?

And must I walk in darkness now

Because I cannot walk by sight?

Is this the way to treat the God

Who bids me trust and love Him now?

Is this the way to use the Word

Given to guide me here below?

How can I be like Christ below,

How like my Lord in witness shine,

Unless with conscious joy I know

His Father and His God as mine?

Oh, crush this cruel unbelief!

These needless, shameful doubts remove,

And suffer me no more to grieve

The God whom I do really love.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Where the Fire Has Been

John Underwood was worried. One of the worst fires of this century was raging in the Idaho foothills, and his vacation cabin was in danger. As he hurried to see what he could do to save it, he met a weary group of firefighters. They stopped to ask directions, and in leaving they advised him to head for land already burned if the fire came close.

At his cabin he found the fire moving forward, but it was slow. A plane came over with fire-retardant chemicals, a helicopter dropped water, and he began “raking burnables away, hoping to form a firebreak. I felt optimistic,” he said.

“Then I heard a roar, looked up and saw fire moving quickly. Trees were burning like giant blowtorches. I could feel the heat!”

Suddenly fire was all around him. He had seen a patch of burned-over ground on his way in, and there was still a narrow path between the flames. He sprinted toward it as the flames closed in on both sides.

He reached the blackened ground where the fire had passed, and there he stayed in the choking smoke and heat until the blaze had raced on away from him. The cabin was gone, but he stood alive and safe—safe where the fire had been.

And that is just where every saved soul stands today—safe, where the fire has been. The Lord Jesus Christ went into the fire of God’s judgment on sin. No human being could ever have borne that fire, but Jesus could and did.

Now there is a safe place for every one who comes and says, “I know I am a sinner, but Jesus died to bear the penalty of my sins. I believe in Him; I accept His offer, and I am safe forever!”

John Underwood did not hesitate when he saw the flames. He ran for safety—and he lived.

Don’t delay!

NOW is the accepted time . . . NOW is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2.)

Be in time!

While the voice of Jesus calls you,

Be in time!

If in sin you longer wait,

You may find no open gate,

And your cry be “Just too late!”

Be in time!

Adrift on the Pacific Ocean

Three fliers were forced down in mid-Pacific waters. They survived for 34 days in a rubber raft, finally reaching a friendly island. This is their story.

Harold Dixon, of the U.S. Navy, in giving the account of their experiences says: “All the morning we sat and longed for rain, for we knew, if we did not get it, we wouldn’t last long, and death by thirst is terrible torture. It was then Gene suggested we pray for help. I had thought of the same thing too, but had been ashamed to make the suggestion! I know the hesitation was wrong. We had all been brought up in Christian homes, but Gene and I, like many servicemen, had drifted away from God. Tony was more religious.

“So in the blazing sun, in shark-infested water, we held our first prayer meeting. Each of us stuttered and mumbled in his own way through a prayer, then asked God to bless our loved ones at home and care for them and, should we die, to protect our shipmates. In His almighty goodness, God was pleased to answer. Hardly had we finished praying when there appeared a tremendous dark cloud, and down poured the rain. We had our first drink in days.

“Late that afternoon, God still seemed with us, for as I was bringing up my ‘chart’ by marking another day on the port oarlock where I made marks for each day at sea, the wind shifted abruptly to northeast. This was just what we wanted, especially as it held that way through the night.

“On the evening of the sixth day we decided to hold another prayer meeting. We badly needed more rain and something to eat. We started with singing hymns—that is, we sang what we could remember and hummed the rest. Once more we asked for rain and food and blessings on our loved ones and shipmates.

“Next day we had rain and caught fish. They swarmed around apparently attracted by our orange-colored raft. Gene caught them by simply leaning over and stabbing them with his pocket knife—these we ate raw. That afternoon we had another shower.”

For 34 days these experiences continued, and finally, when all hope had gone, the boat reached a friendly island of the Pacific, gently drifting ashore. That night a terrific storm raged, but God had heard prayer and the men were saved.

It is unlikely that such an experience will ever happen to you, but there will be a time when the reality of God and eternity will be forced on you. Perhaps you too have “drifted away from God,” yet in His long-suffering grace He still pleads with you: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18.)

The Door Will Be Shut

The time is fast approaching when every person who has not accepted Christ as his Saviour will be found in an awful position. All those who are Christ’s—the sleeping ones raised, the living changed—will soon be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

What a moment that will be for every person left behind. Every soul born of God, every real child of God, will have gone to be with Jesus forever. All who are not His will be left behind. In which company will YOU then be found?

It will be too late to flee: there will be no escape. The door will be shut. Left behind, outside the door, for a fearful, lost eternity! Be warned now. Flee from the wrath to come! Flee to Christ!

Jesus said: He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24.)

Peace at Last

I was only eight years old when my father died, leaving us with no home. My mother had to go out to work, and I was sent to live with her sister.

My aunt’s home was very different from what ours had been. Her friends lived just for this world, and I soon began to follow in their footsteps even though I had been taught by my Christian parents to “say my prayers” night and morning. Prayer had only been a duty to me, and I had not yet known anything of the saving grace of God.

Deep in my heart I longed for the old home where Christ was honored; I saw Christian people happy in the Lord, while I could not find true happiness however hard I tried.

My mother was worried about me, and she grieved because I seemed indifferent about the welfare of my soul. I know she offered up many prayers to God for me. I thank God for them, and that He has answered her prayers.

It happened this way: my best friend was a girl of about my own age. She was a real Christian, and often spoke to me about the Lord and explained portions from the Bible.

However, I could not believe how simple a thing salvation really is. I thought I must do much good, and make myself very different, before God would pardon me. I could not see the meaning of the words of the Lord Jesus, when on the cross He said: It is finished. Nor did I understand that He had done all the work His Father gave Him to do and that therefore there was nothing for me to do but to accept with humility and thanksgiving the full salvation of God.

One day, while I was talking to my friend, she asked me if I believed God’s Word.

I answered, “Of course!”

Then she quoted the Lord’s own words: He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. She pleaded earnestly, stressing the fact that Jesus is God and that I must believe on Him to be saved.

At that moment I realized that I was either saved or lost.

I knew I did believe, and suddenly I saw the truth so plainly that I cried out, “Then I am saved! Through the blood of Jesus my sins are washed away. He did it all—thank God!”

Deep peace filled my heart, the lasting peace of God which passes understanding, and it is still there today.

The Fate of the World

Faith is not what we see or feel;

It is a simple trust

In what the God of love has said

Of Jesus as the Just.

This was not said by a Christian, who might be thought pessimistic and taking a gloomy view of things. The speaker was a man of the world, one in whom (as far as we know) there is no faith in God. But being an observant man, he can see the present trend of things and the course they are taking, which will shortly end in its destruction by the judgment of God.

This is a deeply important matter, and one that demands the serious consideration of everybody, especially those who are not prepared for such a terrible calamity.

You ask, “Is it really true?”

Yes, for God has said, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:26,27.)

When God shakes everything, the world, as we know it, will crumble and disappear. What have you that cannot be shaken? Are you resting on the firm foundation of the finished work of Christ? If so, you have nothing to fear in view of the dissolution of everything connected with man’s world.

God has said: Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious. (1 Peter 2:6,7.)

Is Christ precious to you, my friend? Do you know Him as your personal Saviour? If so, then even in view of the destruction, which is surely and swiftly coming on this world, you need have no fear. Your destiny will be heaven, to which Christ will remove you before He comes in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Everlasting Life"

The most precious thing you have is your life. If you had millions of dollars, and your life was in danger, you would give it all to save your life. But this life is so full of disappointment, loss, pain and grief. What would a life be which was full of joy and peace, a life in which there was rest of soul, a life which death could not end?

You are afraid of death because you know you must meet God. You know that after death is the judgment. God Himself warns you of the judgment which your sins will bring on you, and it is God Himself who tells you of everlasting life.

This life must soon end. It may not last another day; this day may be the last day of your life. What would you give for a life that never ends? A life over which death has no power? EVERLASTING LIFE!

You can have this life and have it now. God offers it to you: He offers you forgiveness, salvation, deliverance from sin, power to do His will.

How?

Jesus says: He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24.)

It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the One who died for you, the One who bore your sins on the cross, in whom you have to believe. He has proved His love by dying for you; He now offers you everlasting life.

He offers life freely to you. You have nothing to pay for it, not a thing. No matter how rich you are, no matter how much you may possess, you have nothing to give to Him for that life. It is—it must be—a free gift. The only question is, will you receive it now?

O come now to Jesus,

That dear loving Saviour,

Receive Him this moment,

And peace shall be thine.

Welcome News

An evangelist was preaching in a park. Lying in the grass, apparently asleep, was a young man. He seemed to hear nothing, but he had been convinced of sin by the Holy Spirit. He knew he was a sinner! He dreaded the fact that after death he had to stand before God. He was sure that there was no hope for him—he was too bad.

The preacher was joyfully proclaiming: “There is a living Saviour in heaven—Christ Jesus! He came into this world to save sinners. Now Paul says that he, the chief of sinners, has already been saved. Therefore no one else is too bad to be saved!”

Our friend, forgetting himself, forgetting everything else, sprang to his feet and shouted: “That’s what I needed to hear!”

He knew now that a living Saviour in heaven would save him if he would trust in Him. He received the Lord Jesus and entered into a new life. He was a changed man, and rejoiced in Him who had come into the world for the purpose of saving such as he.

Can you thank Him for having saved you?

All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23,24.)

A Refuge

As Charles Wesley sat at his desk writing, a little bird flew into his room through an open window. After fluttering around frantically for a while it landed on his chest and clung there. Gently he caught it and held it to him.

The little body was quivering with fear. It had been pursued by a hawk, and in its distraction it had seen the open window and had come to him for refuge. Some instinct had led the frightened bird to trust him in its extreme danger, and in him it had found a safe hiding place.

This was the Charles Wesley who wrote so many beautiful hymns. The little incident suggested to him the opening lines of a hymn which he immediately wrote:

Jesus, lover of my soul,

Let me to Thy bosom fly.

It is no surprise that Wesley’s thoughts were turned by this incident to the Saviour of sinners—the One who in the fullest sense is a refuge for the perishing. This wonderful Person is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is able and willing to save from Satan’s power all who come to Him in faith.

A great work had to be accomplished before He could be revealed as the triumphant Saviour. Through Adam’s sin the whole race of mankind had been sold—sold to the usurper, Satan. Only a sinless One—One who knew no sin—could buy it back or redeem it to God. This work of atonement was accomplished by God’s Son on Calvary’s cross when He suffered for our sins.

Has He not proved Himself to be the lover of your soul? Could He have done more? Impossible! He loves us even to death. He gave His life that we might be eternally saved. He paid the full price in His own blood.

Now, what is the Lord Jesus Christ to you? Have you profited by His atoning death on the cross? Have you accepted Him as your Saviour? Have you fled to Him for refuge from the great destroyer of souls? Your only safety is in Christ. He is your only refuge, your only Saviour. His heart longs to receive you, to give you freely the rich salvation that He has purchased at such a cost.

Flee from the wrath to come. (Luke 3:7.)

Neither is there salvation in
any other: for there is
none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby
we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

Hurricane!

Hurricanes do not strike without warning. From the day the first small disturbance is spotted in the tropical waters they are watched and measured and examined constantly. As intensity increases, forecasters begin issuing storm “advisories” which, in time, place an area on hurricane “watch.” At last comes the dreaded hurricane warning and it is time to take shelter—or to escape.

In the case of recent hurricane Andrew there was almost a week of tracking the storm; almost a week when it could be seen blowing in a straight path toward South Florida. There were certainly warnings!

Governor Lawton Chiles issued an appeal on the emergency network, pleading with the residents of the threatened area to evacuate.

The Dade County Manager: “We’re looking at a very, very bad storm and it’s coming straight at us.”

The Director of the National Hurricane Center: “It’s a dead course for South Florida,” and he added, “I hoped I would never experience this.”

Another forecast: “It’s the Big One. We always knew it would come.”

It was hard to believe the warnings. The Sunday before the hurricane it was warm and sunny, with a fitful breeze blowing in from the ocean. Only the ominous red and black warning flags and the serious voices of the forecasters told a grim story of death and destruction heading toward the area.

There were believers. Nearly a million people streamed away from the South Florida coast as the day wore on. Thousands more moved to temporary shelters. As late as 11:00 o’clock that night the stars were shining, but a little after midnight the wind began to pick up. Soon the wind became a roaring gale, and as the storm approached landfall trees began to fall, roofs to blow away and buildings to crumble.

Would anyone willingly brave that storm’s fury?

After the storm the sensible man sadly talked of his brother’s death: “Couldn’t anybody get him inside?”

There were others who refused to leave flimsy buildings, and others with sad stories to tell. But God was merciful, and there was comparatively little loss of life in spite of the devastation. Most had sought shelter in time.

There are other storm warnings flying today. Not just the increasingly severe hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and other upheavals of nature, but the turmoil of the inhabitants of the world. Nations are splitting up, section against section—tribe against tribe—clan against clan. There is crime in the streets; there are monetary crises; there are storm signals everywhere we look. The word today is flee! Seek shelter!

Where?

Oh, not to an underground shelter or a concrete and steel building or a distant safe corner of the world (if there be such!) but to a Person. A Person who is all-powerful, a Person who can say to the wind and the waves, Peace, be still, and the winds and the waves obey Him.

That Person is the Son of God—the Lord Jesus Christ. He offers eternal security to all who put their trust in Him; that means security for ever and ever!

And for now, He will be a sure Guide through all the problems and puzzles of life today. Everyone who has trusted in Christ, who has received Him by faith in His name, can be sure of God’s love and care through every circumstance of life, and a warm “Welcome home!” at the end.

If you find that the winds and waves of trouble are overwhelming you, why not take God’s promise for yourself? Why not experience for yourself that, for those who cry unto the Lord in their trouble, He can make the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

O God . . . when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower. (Psalm 61:1-3.)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled. (Psalm 46:1-3.)

Which Side of the Line Are You on?

An unbeliever.

A believer.

Sins unforgiven.

Sins forgiven.

Lost.

Saved.

Without God.

Brought to God.

Without hope.

Hope of glory.

Eternal death.

Eternal life.

Judgment.

No condemnation.

Everlasting punishment.

Everlasting joy.

The lake of fire.

Realms of glory

HOW TO CROSS THE DIVIDING LINE:

Look unto Me, and be ye saved . . . for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22.)

"No Salvation for You"

“I never did anybody any harm; I have always paid my way; I have been honest in everything I did, and never had any ill will toward anybody. In fact, if anybody can consider he is all right, I am the one.”

“There is no salvation for you, then!”

“What do you mean?”

“I have no message of salvation for you. There is no good news for you.”

“Why not?”

“Simply because you do not need it. You are, according to your own account, a righteous person. My Bible tells me expressly that Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners. So if you are not a sinner, Christ did not come to save you.”

“Well, I did not mean exactly that I could do without the work of Christ.”

“Quite so, but Romans 5 says that Christ died for the ungodly, for sinners, for His enemies. If you do not own yourself to be without God, an enemy by nature and a sinner in practice, how can you claim a part in His great salvation? As long as you stand on the platform of your own goodness, how can you be saved?”

“What must I do then?”

“Admit that what God says about you is true! Own that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Take the place of a guilty sinner before Him, like the publican who cried, God be merciful to me a sinner. Then, like him, you will be saved.”

The believer can say, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. (Titus 3:5.) v

I know that in me
(that is, in my flesh,)
dwelleth no good thing. . . .
Who shall deliver me from
the body of this death?
I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 7:18,24,25

"What Must I to Be Saved?"

How clear and reassuring are the answers of God through the Bible to the questions of an anxious heart!

How can I get right with God?

By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9.)

But how can God save me, a sinful person, without anything on my part to deserve it?

Through this Man [Christ Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things. (Acts 13:38,39.)

But how can I know that this is for me?

Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise [no way] cast out. (John 6:37.)

Then how can I make this salvation my own?

Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17.)

Claim for yourself the full, free forgiveness which God offers to all by virtue of the great redemption price paid on Calvary’s cross—the atoning death of Christ—for you.

What must I do to be saved?

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

His Love Divine

I saw Him stretched upon the cross,

The Son of God—for me!

I saw Him bow His kingly head

And die on Calvary’s tree.

I saw those pierced hands and feet

Scarred with eternal scar;

I felt His loving, breaking heart—

Call mine from depths afar.

I writhed within my chains of sin,

I groaned in my despair—

As lightning in the blackened storm

His radiance smote me there.

And all my life was changed to light

By love—His love divine—

The judgment for my sins was His,

The love that took them, mine!

O hungry souls that toil and strain

In the dark world of sin,

Know that one heart is seeking you

With life you could not win!

Look up! A substitute in heaven

Is lifting wounded hand

To show His own that His were nailed—

Love’s everlasting brand.

Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Hebrews 10:37

Prepare to meet thy God. Amos 4:12

The Confession of Alva Reis

My childhood was spent in a well-to-do home in which the Word of God was quite unknown. Never in that home was God’s name mentioned—except perhaps in mockery.

I could not understand a God who seemed to care nothing for sickness, poverty and suffering; who permitted war, crime and death unchecked. Where was that God who was proclaimed to be Light and Love? Our Father? One who could permit His children to live as they do?

I set to work to persecute the Church of God by all means in my power. Being of the opinion that foreign missionaries were doing anti-patriotic work, I opposed them continually. I even caused arms to be hidden in the premises of the Ambriz Mission, with the intent that they should afford evidence of the Mission’s being involved in revolutionary activities! So from my childhood till I landed in prison I fought against God—the God of love.

My aim was patriotic; in my way I meant well—yet all was of the devil and based on lies and fraud.

When I was arrested and imprisoned, I devoted all my energy to my defense. I studied piles of books. I did everything to cover up my own tracks by unmasking the faults of others. I worked unremittingly against the day when my case would be brought before the court, being persuaded that anything and everything I could do for my own defense was quite legitimate.

Only God and I knew all the facts, and I well knew that I, and I alone, was guilty. Not even my poor wife so much as dreamed what was the reality.

A fellow prisoner supplied me with a Bible. I smiled scornfully, and began a controversial correspondence with him. But in the course of this correspondence I became gradually convinced that there was something mysterious about the Bible—it all pointed to Christ! The Bible written at various times, by various writers, under a variety of circumstances, formed but one complete whole—Christ! He was the solution of the mystery!

A tremendous struggle began. Could the Bible really be the Word of God? Could I call on Him? I made an experiment in prayer—and God answered me!

Day by day I carried on my study of the Word of God, and better and better did I appreciate it. A day came when light burst upon me! It was His work, not mine. I was not overcome by human agency, but by the Word of God. It was to Christ I surrendered.

At last I gave up my defense. I decided to sacrifice the large sum of money involved—I would make full confession. No human influence was involved in my decision; it was solely due to the Word of God brought to bear on me.

For five hours I addressed the Court, making full public confession. Why did I? It was just the work of God’s Spirit in me. He worked on me; He transformed me, made a new man of me.

In all the years of my tribulation He has never failed me. He has said: Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me. Thousands of times He has delivered me. He is the living God.

This was the old Alva Reis—now I am a new Alva Reis! v

If any man be
in Christ, he is
a new creature:
old things are
passed away;
behold, all
things are
become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

He knew no sin, that Holy One,

Yet was made sin for us,

God gave His well-beloved Son

To die for sinners thus.

In righteousness God now can bless

All who His Word believe,

And life eternal they possess

Who Christ the Son receive.

The Mirage

We were travelling on the Cape Railway between De Aar Junction and Beaufort West. The night had been very cool, but as noon approached and the sun got high in the heavens it grew really warm. I casually lifted my eyes from a book and, glancing out the window, I saw that we were running towards a large lake. My companion and I watched it together, and in the course of a few minutes everything stood out more clearly. Islands covered with trees and vegetation rose out of the glassy-surfaced waters.

I had seen a map of the district, and felt certain no lake was marked there. Moreover, the season had been dry, a regular drought in fact. It was a real puzzle! We discussed it, and were just wondering if it could possibly be a mirage when our questions were answered.

The waters of the lake began to quiver. Their motion increased. Then the islands began to move in an extraordinary way. They became very elongated, parts of them broke off and disappeared. The lovely lake became a chaotic muddle.

Like a dream, the vision passed and ugly realities were in its place. Of course! It was as plain as possible now. Those “islands” were only the tops of the flat-topped hills which were dotted about the plain. The “water” was the heat-waves which shimmered over the surface of the earth.

Not in Africa only, but in all parts of the world another kind of mirage appears before our eyes, especially when we are young. One sees a prosperous life filled with all the good things of material possessions. Another looks to sports and physical fitness—but neither can last forever. It is only the mirage again.

Even that young couple working so hard to provide an education for their children and comfort and security for their own old age—they too will have to die, so it is only the mirage after all.

And when the mirage has faded, only ugly facts remain. Let me name three.

The fact of SIN.

People may deny it, but a fact it still remains. The Bible says: All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23.)

The fact of DEATH.

This nobody can deny. It stares us too plainly in the face. It is the direct result of sin.

The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23.)

The fact of JUDGMENT.

Unpleasant, but inevitable. So surely as two and two make four, sin and death mean judgment to come.

It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27.)

Do not shut your eyes to these things, nor allow them to be obscured by the mirage-like haze of this life. Look at them honestly.

Christ has been once offered to bear the sins of many. He took up the death sentence which is sin’s just wage, and bore the judgment which sin deserved. Do you confess your sin and believe in Him? Then you may truthfully sing:

Death and judgment are behind me,

Grace and glory are before;

All the billows rolled o’er Jesus,

There they spent their utmost power.

And instead of being deceived by a mirage which death will break up, you will have a prospect of glory which will never fade away.

All flesh is as grass,
and all the glory of man
as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away:
but the word of the Lord
endureth for ever.

1 Peter 1:24,25

Complete Insurance

Fire! Fire!

What a heart-chilling sound! But how comforting to the owner of the burning building if he can say: “It is completely insured. Everything is covered by insurance.”

Why is it that so many people take every precaution to preserve their material possessions, and take so little thought for the intangible? They seek to preserve intact or insure for equal value every tangible thing that belongs to them, but pay no attention to the things of eternity. If a house is destroyed by fire the first thought is: “How much insurance?” In contrast, if their earthly house of this tabernacle—the body—meets with disaster and death is threatening, the question must be: “Is salvation insured? Are you saved?”

God has made provision for your eternal security, at tremendous cost to Himself, and He offers it to you for nothing. If you refuse such wonderful love, what provision will you be able to make of your own that will satisfy God? None.

Friend, own to God you are a sinner. Receive Christ as your own personal Saviour, and your name will be written in God’s book of life and kept securely in the safety vault of heaven. God assures you that you shall never perish, but shall have everlasting life.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.)

I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. (John 10:28.) v

Testimony Concerning Jesus

Pontius Pilate, the Governor: I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this man. (Luke 23:14.)

Pilate’s wife: Have thou nothing to do with that just man. (Matthew 27:19.)

Herod, the king: Nothing worthy of death. (Luke 23:15.)

Judas: I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. (Matthew 27:4.)

The repenting thief: This man hath done nothing amiss. (Luke 23:41.)

The Roman centurion at Calvary: Certainly this was a righteous man. (Luke 23:47.)

Conversion

What is conversion?

It is a genuine turning of the heart to God from one’s own previous course.

Other things can be mistaken for it. There may be a change of ways, a profession made, a religious course adopted, but the heart still remains a stranger to God.

In true and full conversion to God there is the sense of deep need, of guilt and unworthiness. When the soul is brought into the light of the divine presence and the conscience comes in contact with the glory, then God is heard to speak. The sinner sees the crucified Lord and confesses his sin.

It is then also through the word of the gospel that Christ is seen as the Saviour, and trusted in. The gospel brings knowledge of salvation and forgiveness of sins. In full, genuine conversion, the Lord Jesus Christ becomes personally known. The guilty conscience is set at rest, and the heart is satisfied. Every truly converted soul is a miracle of God’s grace.

For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God: not of works,
lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:8,9

Trying to Believe

Two inquiring women, sisters, came to see me. They had heard the gospel and had been deeply impressed by it. I asked them, “Have you really and truly believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you saved?”

One of them answered, “I have been trying hard to believe.”

“No,” I said, “that will not do. Did you ever tell your father that you tried to believe him?”

They admitted that such language would have been an insult to their father.

I then begged them, in as simple language as I could find, to believe Jesus, who is more worthy of faith than the best of fathers. One of them said, “I cannot be sure, I cannot believe I am saved.”

I answered: “God says that whosoever trusts in His Son is saved. Will you make Him a liar now, or will you believe His Word?”

While I spoke, one of them exclaimed in astonishment, “Oh, I see it all! I am saved! Oh, do thank Jesus for me! He has shown me the way! He has saved me! I see it now!”

The change that comes over the heart when the understanding grasps the gospel is often reflected in the face and shines like the light of heaven. Such newly enlightened people have often exclaimed, “Why, it is so plain! Why didn’t I see it before? I understand what I read in the Bible now, though I never could before.”

In fact, the truth is always plain and simple, but so many are looking for signs and wonders in themselves. Therefore they cannot see the One who is near them—Christ Jesus ever at hand, ready and waiting to become the light of life to all who will receive Him. Childlike trust in Him opens the eyes of the heart to see and understand His Word.

Will you believe Him now? If you take Him by faith, you have Him and no one can take Him from you. Throw away your doubts and receive Him at once!

As many as received Him,
to them gave He power
to become the sons of God,
even to them that
believe on His name.

John 1:12

The Cleft of the Rock

“Tom, did you hear that preacher say that a terrible time is ahead for this world, and that the only place to hide from it is in the cleft of the rock? What did he mean?”

“In the cleft of the rock? Sure, I know what that means. I was saved that way once, and I can never forget it.”

“How did it happen? Tell us about it.”

“You remember that old railroad that ran through our town? It was a single track, and where it ran in that long curve at the foot of the hill mighty little space was left between the rocks on the one side and the river on the other.”

“Yes, I often thought what an awful wreck it would have been if the train jumped the track there. Just enough space for a train to pass without hitting the rocks on the side of the hill.”

“And no place for a person to stand on the other side if a train should come while he was there. It was an awful place before the roadbed was widened and the second track was laid. I shudder to think of what might have happened to me there.

“It was when I was just a boy. My sister and I were coming home from school, and we thought it would be shorter and easier to try the railroad track instead of the long walk over the hill. It was after the time for the express, and no other train was scheduled, so we felt safe enough. We hardly thought of danger anyway. She was older than I was, and I left all the worry to her.

“We were going along pretty slowly; I was throwing stones into the water and she was watching, when suddenly she caught my hand and screamed, ‘Run! Run! A train is coming!’

“I heard its roar, and then the whistle as it came near the curve. My heart seemed to stop. I knew it was the express. If my sister had not forced me on I might have been powerless to run. We ran as fast as we could, but how can the feet of children win a race with an express train, especially if that train is behind time and trying to make it up?

“Oh, the awful terror of that minute! Every moment we felt must be our last. We could hear the roar of the train coming nearer and nearer, but we dared not look around. Tightly holding each other’s hand, we ran.

“Suddenly the whistle blew. The engineer had seen us, but too late to stop the train. Whether or not the whistle made my sister notice, I don’t know, but just then we reached a place where a large chunk of rock had been blown out of the cliff beside the track. It seemed as if the rock had parted and a wedge had been taken out. Before I had time to think, my sister pushed me into the cleft in the rock. Then she threw herself forward and crowded me into the opening.

“The train rushed by—and left us safe in the cleft. We were saved by a fraction of space and a single moment only. Had we gone any further the train would have caught us and—well I would not be here to tell you about it.”

“That was a narrow escape!”

“Yes, and I never think of it without a chill. We were saved by that cleft in the rock. If ever children were thankful for anything, we were for that cleft in the rock. I often think, Suppose it had not been there?”

“But what has that to do with the sermon we heard yesterday? Of course it was a good sermon, but I don’t see how it applies to us, Tom. You and I are pretty good men. It doesn’t concern us about God punishing sinners. I believe He will, but not men like you and me.”

“Jim, I’ll tell you why it concerns me, and maybe you too. I know I am not a Christian, and so I am in the way of danger. Destruction’s express train may be coming along soon; it may overtake me. Then what? That sermon meant me, and I’m afraid it meant you too. But that minister spoke of the cleft in the rock. That is on my mind all the time, and I know what he means.

“We must find some place to hide, some place where destruction’s train cannot reach us. Right alongside of where we are is a cleft Rock, and in that is the place to hide. That Rock is Christ, and that is what the minister meant when he said that we must ‘hide in the Rock, Christ.’ That is what is meant by that hymn:

Rock of ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

“Jim, I’ve made up my mind to hide in that Rock! That is the place of safety we both need—and Christ is our only way to be saved.”

“Well, it does have more meaning to me now, Tom, than it did before. Yes, you are right! Thank God we have found that cleft in time!”

Have you who read this found that cleft in the Rock—God’s provision for your eternal safety? Time is fast slipping away. Cast yourself into it, and make Christ your Saviour now. In Him is everlasting peace and security.

Lead me to the rock
that is
higher than I.

Psalm 61:2

Get Right With God!

“Get right with God.” Your load of guilt is heavy,

And God alone can take that load away;

He gave His well-beloved Son to suffer

Upon the cross, your every debt to pay.

“Get right with God.” No longer be rebellious

Against the love that seeks your soul to win;

Bow down at last, and as your Lord confess Him

Whose blood alone can cleanse away your sin.

“Get right with God.” Eternity’s before you;

How dark ’twill be if, banished from His face,

You must go forth into a night of sorrow—

A stranger ever to His saving grace.

God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

A Cowboy's Story

Bob Hanson didn’t look like a regular Bible-store customer. He looked like a relic of the old Wild West! One eye was gone (shot out in a gunfight); his hand was tucked in his hip pocket as though feeling his revolver, and his ten gallon hat balanced itself on the back of his head. In fact, he looked like a bandit ready to hold up the stage when he strode briskly into the American Bible Society bookstore in San Francisco and demanded, “I want the book of Mark!”

As the surprised clerk in the store brought him a copy of the gospel of Mark, Bob brought his huge fist down on the counter with a resounding whack. He said: “This is the book that brought me to God four years ago, in one of the lowest lodging houses in this city. Funny how God works, isn’t it? I’ll tell you the story.

“For years I was a cowboy in Arizona. I came to ’Frisco four years ago for a blowout. After a night of hitting it up, I woke up in one of the rottenest lodging houses in this city. But you know, I saw on the table in my room a little book. I read its title: ‘The Gospel by Mark.’ I knew it belonged in the Bible, but why was it in that room? It bothered me, wondering how it got into that place, but I left it alone.

“The next day, after another wild night, I saw the book again and had a sudden feeling that it was there for me. I picked up the book and went over to the Union Park Square and sat on one of the benches in the park.

“I had never read any of the book before, and I just turned the pages to the eleventh chapter. I read there about Jesus driving the thieves out of the temple in Jerusalem.

“That very day I had planned to do something which, if found out, would have sent me to San Quentin. ‘There,’ I said, ‘that’s what I am! I’m a gambler and a thief, and God knows it. Christ could drive out those thieves—He could throw me into hell! He’s a great Man, all right! He’s the One I need!’ And there on the park bench four years ago I put my trust in Christ.

“Mister, I want that book of Mark. That book, and that book alone, brought me to God.”

What a testimony to the life-giving Word of God!

You may know nothing of the kind of life which this cowboy had lived, but you need the same Saviour. The Bible says: There is no difference: for all have sinned. (Romans 3:22,23.) Degrees of guilt there may be, but all are sinners before God and on the way to everlasting punishment. Will you not turn now to Him and be saved?

For whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:13

A Deadly Mistake

The September night was warm and dark. Clouds covered the face of the moon, and only the soft splash of waves on the sand told of the dark Gulf of Mexico just beyond. High on the beach there was movement in the sand—a whisper of anticipation—a stirring of new life.

Word was hurried to members of Longboat Key Turtle Watch, and soon the watchers were rewarded by seeing 90 baby loggerhead turtles breaking from their shells in the protected nest.

Long abandoned by their mother, emerging alone into an unfamiliar world, how does a little turtle find its way to water and safety? The guide is light on the water—moonlight—starlight—phosphorescence. So it has been on the beaches for thousands of years, and for so long a time the turtle hatchlings have turned naturally to the water.

What is different now?

There are conflicting lights on the shore—street lights, porch lights, automobile headlights—and the baby turtles turn in confusion and flounder toward the brightest light.

It is a deadly mistake. Born to swim free in the cool waters of the Gulf, they cannot survive on dry land. If they escape being crushed under the wheels of passing cars as they cross the beach road, it will only be to die miserably of starvation and dehydration on the land.

Here the Turtle Watch comes to the rescue! Wading out from shore, they hold lights on the water just where the hatchlings can see them. Soon all the little flippers are scuffling across the beach, scurrying to water and life.

Are there any false and confusing lights for us too? Most certainly there are! In fact, in all the glitter and glare of our modern world it is possible for us to be completely dazzled and disoriented. The fantastic achievements and technological advances of our time are almost beyond our comprehension, and as everything around seems to be changing we look for some guiding light to steer by.

New lights spring up in all directions: New Thought, New Wave, New Morality, but they lead only to disaster—soul disaster. We need—we must have—a true light. There is one, and only one: Jesus Christ is the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9.)

Jesus said: I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12.) The light of life! Not flickering, temporary candles that may be blown out at a breath, but light of life—everlasting life. We can have that light only by accepting the One who is light and life; we must receive the Lord Jesus as our own Saviour. He will be our light all through this life, and our light and life forever.

Where Is Your Soul?

Friend, where is your soul?

There is no more generally accepted truth than that of the existence of the human soul, yet there is no truth more commonly disregarded. The body reigns everywhere. The body is fed, nursed, exercised, comforted, every limb clothed, every organ gratified. But the soul is undervalued, famished, forgotten. Its claims are slighted; its eternal destiny is unheeded; its very existence is ignored.

My friend, your soul is really you. It is the living being that lives within your body—thinking, speaking, acting—using your body as a vehicle of communication with the world.

Your soul, with all its attributes—conscience, reason, will, affections—destined for immortality, but ruined by sin—is of infinite importance.

Where is your soul? Have you surrendered it by faith into the Redeemer’s hands? Are you committing the keeping of your soul to Him as a faithful Creator?

Do not think that there can be safety or lasting happiness otherwise. The sensualist, hoping for satisfaction in pleasure, may say to his soul: Soul . . . take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But, What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Only Christ, the Son of God, can save, and feed, and keep your soul unto life eternal. And why does He prize it so? Because it cost Him so much—His very life.

Will you not come to Jesus, the eternal Lover of your precious soul, and give it into His keeping NOW? Tomorrow may be too late.

Thy soul shall be
required of thee. . . .
Whose shall those things be,
which thou hast provided?

Luke 12:20

No Tomorrow

The doctor was puzzled. He hardly knew what to tell me. He knew I was very sick, and I felt sorry for the doctor’s indecision. I thought I would relieve him of his difficulty by asking: “What do you think, doctor? Tell me honestly if you think I am going to die. I must know.”

Hesitantly, the doctor replied: “To tell you the honest truth, unless you take a decided turn for the better within the next hour, I do not think you can last more than two or three hours.”

“Thank you for telling me,” I answered. “Now, please leave me by myself. Come back to see me at the end of the hour.”

I was very ill and in a foreign land, far from home and loved ones. From my earliest years I had determined to enjoy life in my own way. As for my soul and eternity, I had resolved that I would cry to God for mercy on my deathbed. “And now,” I said to myself after the doctor had left, “the time has come at last. It came sooner than I thought, and I have only an hour or two to cry for mercy.”

I lay quiet for a few moments to compose myself. A quarter of an hour slipped by. My thoughts flew to my home, and I wondered how those I loved would hear of my death.

I again glanced at the clock. Only twenty minutes left! How did one cry to God for mercy? What words should I use?

Strength was failing. I could not collect my thoughts. Making a desperate effort I pulled myself on to my knees. With stammering lips I said: “Our Father which art—” but I could go no further. Helpless, wordless, I fell down upon my bed in terror. What a realization! On my deathbed it was too late to cry to God for mercy. I sank into oblivion.

It pleased God to spare my life. He brought me back from the brink of death and gave me another opportunity to learn of Him in the land of the living. Soon I was listening to the good news of free and full salvation. The preacher pointed out that this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

For the first time I learned that if one came as a sinner to Christ, believing in Him, trusting in Him, that very moment Christ would receive him. However weak and sinful he might be, a gracious and merciful God would give him everlasting life.

The preacher said, “Now is the accepted time . . . now is the day of salvation. There is no promise of salvation tomorrow—there may be no tomorrow!”

It flashed across my mind, “How foolish to delay!” Through grace I came to Christ and as a guilty, lost sinner I accepted His wonderful offer of mercy. Since that moment I have been blessed with the assurance of my perfect safety for time and eternity.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

You also may have this great salvation. God offers it to you. Will you not take it now?

Whiskey John

It was Sunday afternoon and the fishing boats were lying at anchor in the little harbor. The fishermen were scattered on the wharf or along the beach enjoying the Sunday rest. But not all, for at the point where the only street of the fishing village extended to the beach, a number of men and women had gathered around a young man, almost a boy, who was standing on the top of a herring barrel. He was reading aloud the words of a hymn which the little company began to sing.

“It sounds real nice, doesn’t it, Dieter?” asked one of the two men who sat on the edge of the pier.

Dieter Lange, a strongly built old man with snow-white beard, was a person of influence among the villagers and he had refused to listen to the preaching, and because of this Henry Lehman had spoken somewhat shyly.

Dieter nodded carelessly, and Henry continued: “It is really strange—the son of Whiskey John wants to preach to us. They say he speaks very nicely. My wife was here last Sunday, and she wanted me to go with her this time.”

“I have nothing against the boy,” said Dieter, thoughtfully. “As far as I am concerned, he can preach as often as he wishes, but I don’t see that I need his preaching. How can this young fellow tell me anything that I have not known long before him? I have done well without these religious notions until now, and do you think I would let a boy like him teach me?”

Henry rose slowly and in embarrassment muttered, “Well, I have promised my wife, so I had better go.”

After a little while, words were heard plainly by Dieter. “He gave His life for you! While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He died, the just for the unjust!” He pointed them to Christ, who gave His life for the unjust—for sinners. The listeners could feel that the young man had experienced what he was speaking about—the saving love of Christ. They all listened quietly and with good attention. When the circle broke up, Henry came back to sit again with his friend.

“It is the sheerest nonsense,” growled the older man as they rose and loitered along the beach. “It goes altogether against reason that one should die for those who hate him and try to injure him at every chance.”

“Well, it sounds nice; it’s too bad if it isn’t true,” answered his friend sadly.

Monday morning the boats were still at anchor, for a storm had risen during the night and the waves were tossing furiously. At noon Henry went to the wharf to look at the weather, but old Dieter was there already. Looking through his glass, he called Henry to him, saying, “Whose boat do you think that is out there?”

Henry looked through the glass. “It is making straight for the rocks,” he cried.

“That fellow seems to be beside himself. It has to be Whiskey John’s boat; I saw him drunk this morning.”

The two men were watching the boat intently. “Now it is all right; it is out of the current. No, no! He is much too intoxicated—he doesn’t know what he is doing. No boat could get to him in such a storm.”

“There goes a boat out! Who can be so crazy as to risk his life in this storm for that man?”

“It is the boy!”

Yes, it was the young preacher of yesterday that ventured out to save his stepfather—Whiskey John—if it were possible. A crowd of men and women gathered together and with anxious eyes watched the two boats, asking each other if there was a chance to save them. The little boat disappeared every little while among the high waves, and several times it seemed as though it must have gone down, but again it could be seen carried on the crest of a mighty wave. At last it reached the large boat. Too late! That boat was on the rocks!

“Pray for the boy! Pray!” cried one of the women, and one and another went to their knees.

Another moment of suspense. Dieter Lange cried, “They are in the water! Now the boy stands on the rock and he is pulling his father out of the water. A rope! A rope! Run—run—and throw out a rope!”

“They have gone down,” cried a woman.

“No, no! They are there yet! Now the rope!”

They ran down the shore to the edge of the rocks and threw out a rope.

“Now, pull as if it meant your own life,” Dieter cries out, taking hold with his own strong hands.

With difficulty they pulled in the rope on which was tied an old man . . . a sin-stained man who had been given a little longer time for repentance. But they will not see his son again until the Lord shall come and the sea shall give up the dead.

There is still preaching in the village on the beach on Sunday afternoons. It is not now a young man but an old one, a man whose gray head looks above the little circle; it is Dieter Lange.

“It is all true what the lad told you,” he said that Sunday. “You know how I mocked, and said it was nonsense, that one could give his life for his enemies. But the boy did it himself for the one who treated him so cruelly. And now I know who gave him the strength to do it. I know his Lord as my Redeemer and my Saviour too.”

God commendeth His love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Pass It on

When the Lord has given blessing

By a tract or little book,

Do not leave it idly lying in

Some soon-forgotten nook!

There are others to be watered

And hungry souls to feed,

So seek to spread the blessing that

Has reached you in your need.

With its freshness still upon you,

Ere the first glad glow has gone,

Let your heart look up for guidance,

That your hand may pass it on.

And the one from you receiving,

Blessing gaining, just like you,

Can keep that blessing flowing,

And pass it on anew.

And when “the day declares it”

And you hear the words, “Well done,”

How sweet to know the Lord was pleased!

You’ve read this—PASS IT ON!

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?

Hebrews 2:3

What If Tomorrow. . . ?

During World War I soldiers were being moved pretty rapidly. In a town in the south of France a regiment had halted briefly for a period of rest. A Bible seller was there too, carrying on his work of distributing and selling small Bibles. He was surrounded by a group of soldiers, and one soldier stepped forward. Speaking to the Bible man in a serious voice he said, “You have convinced me of my need of possessing a copy of the Word of God. But oh!” he went on with a deep sigh, “I have not a cent to buy it with.”

“That need not matter,” the seller at once replied. “If you are so anxious to possess a copy of God’s Word I shall not let you go away without giving you one, even though I have to pay for it myself.”

Taking a small book from his packet, the Christian handed it with pleasure to the soldier. But to his surprise, scarcely had the soldier got possession of the book when he burst out laughing.

“You are done for, my fine fellow!” he cried. “I am Joker Number One of the regiment. It’s as plain as the nose on your face that I fooled you. When I am dead, do you see, my dear friend—”

Here the Christian interrupted him by exclaiming: “After death, poor man, the judgment will follow—and what a judgment! Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.”

For a moment the young soldier appeared to be silenced, but his laughter soon returned and he called out to the others: “I do believe that the old boy wants to insult me.”

“Give me back the book,” said the Christian earnestly.

“Oh, no, old fellow,” replied the soldier. “Whatever was given was given willingly, so I shall keep it. It may be of use to me; isn’t that what you wish? Much obliged to you!”

Sadly the Christian went away after giving that last serious warning: “Be careful what you do, for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

His heart was heavy with deep sorrow and compassion for the young man, and he cried in prayer to God: “Lord, pardon him! O God, cause the Word to reach his conscience. Convert him! Save him!”

After several months in which he continued to distribute his Bibles, the Christian stopped in a small village and went to an inn to rest. He soon saw that the landlady, an elderly woman, was in deep grief. Sympathetically he inquired the cause, and she replied, “Only a few hours ago my son—the happiness of my life—was placed in the grave.”

“I have a book,” said the Christian, “which I never open without finding some comfort. Let me read a few lines of it to you.”

He drew from his pocket a small New Testament and began to read to her. As he read, the woman snatched it out of his hand and exclaimed, “You wicked man! You have stolen the most precious thing my son left to me!”

Then glancing hastily at the book, the poor woman dropped it on the floor in astonishment. “No, this is not my precious book,” she said. “Mine is torn. Forgive me.”

Running from the room, she returned with a New Testament like the one the Christian had. But it was not complete. Many pages had been torn out of it. The Christian opened the little book and read: “Received from a Bible man in France. Despised at first and badly misused, but afterward read, believed, and loved as the instrument of my salvation. J.L., 4th Company, 6th Regiment of the line.”

The young soldier had told his mother that, on the night before his last battle, serious thoughts came into his mind. The words of the man whom he had tricked came back like a thunderclap: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

“What if tomorrow I should fall into His hands!” he thought.

All through the night this thought haunted him, and as soon as it was light he took out the book to read it. He was astonished when, instead of the threats which he expected to read in its pages, he found appeals such as: God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved!

By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

This last verse deeply affected him and he kept it in his heart. Injured in the battle, the wounded soldier was able to be sent home for a little while before he died, and he comforted his mother’s heart with the news of his eternal salvation.

The Big One

Last year on the 29th of June, the residents of Southern California had a rude awakening. Jolted from their beds at 4:58 a.m. by an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, the first thought of many was, Is this the Big One? Has it come at last?

No, it was not the Big One. Almost three times as strong as the destructive quake in San Francisco in 1989, stronger than any other in California in 40 years, it still was not the Big One.

But—seismologists had little good news for worried Californians. Instead of releasing tension on the San Andreas fault line, the earthquake and another one three hours later may have increased seismic strain in the region.

One resident, seeking reassurance, asked a scientist if it was not foolish to sleep outside while the aftershocks continued. The scientist answered, “No, it is not foolish.”

Most certainly not foolish! Living in an earthquake-prone area, it is wise to adopt all possible safety measures whenever an earthquake advisory is issued.

But there are wise precautions to take, and also foolish ones. When a devastating earthquake destroyed much of the city of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1886, people came from miles around to be close to a certain preacher. They were not there because his home was particularly strong and safe; they were depending on being safe while near “such a good man.”

It was a nice thought, but the goodness of another man, of anyone, was no shelter. And when the final judgment shakes this world of ours, no amount of “goodness” will save—not our own, or another’s, or even the perfect, sinless life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will shelter one soul.

If Jesus had only lived His perfect life on earth and then returned to heaven without dying, there would have been no opened way back to God. We poor humans would have been left to struggle through our little while on earth and then sink into eternal darkness, eternal separation from God, forever barred from all light and love.

But Jesus came in love, came to suffer and die. The way to God and heaven is open now. It would be truly foolish to try to depend on “goodness,” whether real or only imagined. It is not enough to say, “Oh, my father was such a good man; I’ll be all right.” “My wife prays and goes to church; that’ll take care of me”; not even to believe that “I don’t do bad things—I’m pretty good myself!”

No, only those who have admitted that there is no “goodness” in themselves and that they must have a Saviour and who have accepted the Lord Jesus as that Saviour will be safe for time and all eternity. Jesus said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. There is the way of safety—and there alone.

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.)

To every purpose there is
time and judgment. . . .
[Man] knoweth not that which shall be:
for who can tell him
when it shall be?

Ecclesiastes 8:6,7

"Where Is Judgment?"

The door of the bookstore opened slowly and a man entered. He had been interested in the window display where many copies of the Bible and books about the Word of God were arranged. He walked directly to the back of the store where the owner stood behind his counter and said, “I live in Denton, but I was told that here in this city is a place where poor people can get a free Bible. Is this the place?”

“What do you want with a Bible,” asked the bookseller.

“I want to read it,” quietly replied the man. “I have owned only a New Testament before, and now I want a whole Bible.”

“Do you pray for God’s help when you read it? Do you realize it is the Word of God, and that you need the Holy Spirit to lead you to a right understanding of it?”

The man saw that the bookseller was interested in his soul, and he assured him that he had not read his New Testament in vain, by saying, “Why, I have been a professor of religion for years.”

“But that does not necessarily mean that you are a child of God,” insisted the storekeeper. “I am anxious to know if you are saved?”

“Well, I hope so,” was the hesitating reply, “but you know none of us can be sure of that while here.”

“Are you sure of judgment?”

“Oh, yes, I am sure of that!” And the man began to look very earnest.

“Well, then I ask you,” continued his questioner, “on which side of you is the judgment—before or behind?”

Quickly he replied: “It is before me, of course, for the judgment is only at the end of the world. That hasn’t come yet.”

“How do you expect to escape it?”

“Well, I am trying hard to live a Christian life. I am doing what good I can in my poor way, and hoping in that way to be found worthy to have eternal life.”

“Now, let me tell you something,” said the bookseller. “I also believe in judgment at the end of the world, but I can also tell you that judgment is behind me! If I waited for judgment at the great white throne I would be forever condemned—eternally lost. In God’s Word I read that I was condemned already. He that believeth not is condemned already. Then in that same Book I read that Christ died for sinners. I saw that it was for my very sins that Jesus had suffered God’s judgment on the cross. He, the Just, had suffered for the unjust—me. By the sacrifice of Himself I was forever free, if I accepted Him as my substitute. Judgment is past for me since Jesus has passed through it in my place. How glad I am to say, ‘Thank God!’ ”

He that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment]; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24.)

The man’s eyes were shining with joy. Taking hold of the bookseller’s arm with both hands he said earnestly, “I see it! He bore my judgment too!”

He had found a new treasure, and the bookseller was happy in the knowledge that the whole Bible he gave him had new value to one who was truly past judgment.

Not by works of righteousness
which we have done,
but according to His mercy
He saved us.

Titus 3:5

High-Level Jack

“High-level Jack! High-level Jack, with a chapel on his back!”

Laughing and joking, jostling and scuffling with one and another, the boys followed the old man down the street as he went steadily on his way with the shouts of “High-level Jack” ringing in his ears. Who was he, and how did he come by such a strange nickname?

Years ago, when the bridge over the River Tyne was being built at Newcastle, England, it was considered a marvel of construction. Designed by Robert Stevenson and built at the then-tremendous cost of half a million pounds, it was a great wonder. It had a roadway for public traffic and—most marvelous!—an overhead railway track 112 feet above the river.

Among the workmen there was one, Jack, who was working on the upper portion of the bridge, on the “high-level,” high above the dark water flowing beneath it. Suddenly the plank of the scaffold on which he stood slipped. Horrified and helpless, his fellow-workmen watched him fall. Surely, they thought, that was the last of Jack. His death was certain.

But God had His eye on the poor fellow who seemed destined so soon to stand before Him. Just below the treacherous plank, on the lower part of the scaffolding, a huge nail projected. As Jack’s thrashing body hurtled down, the heavy corduroy trousers which he wore caught on this nail.

There Jack hung suspended in midair between sky and water, between life and death. In those first awful moments when death seemed imminent, the frightened man was thoroughly awakened to the realities of eternity. But his concern was not for the physical death that seemed so sure, but rather for the eternal death now facing his lost soul. In his agony he cried out loud: “Save, Lord, or I perish!”

Did God hear the cry of his penitent, desperate creature? He who delights to show mercy had prepared the way of escape for Jack. The nail was strong, and firmly embedded in the structure. The cloth was good, and it held till the other workers could lower ropes and reach their almost-hopeless fellow-workman. High-level Jack, weary and aching throughout his wrenched body, stood again on the riverbank with a heart overflowing with gratitude to the God who is able to save . . . to the uttermost. There, a sinner saved by grace, he dedicated himself to the spreading of the good news of salvation.

Afterwards he travelled through the country carrying with him quantities of Bibles and gospel tracts. His fame as High-level Jack was spread abroad by his experience, and his constant load of gospel literature suggested the thought of “the chapel on his back.” God used His rescued one to turn many from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.

You may never fall physically on this earth, but if you are not born again and come to stand unsaved before the great white throne, you will be among those of whom it will be true: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15.) Awful descent with nothing to intercept—no hope of a return!

Now you have a choice. In that fateful moment, Jack was brought face to face with life and death, blessing and cursing. He chose life eternal and so may you. Will you not choose life, and say with High-level Jack: “Christ for me.”

Entreaty

There is a cry throughout the ages sounding,

A pleading mightier than our lips can know;

Who is this Suppliant our lives surrounding?

Whose are the tears that through this pleading flow?

There is a Voice now in the silence speaking,

A knock that comes when no one else can hear;

Who is the One that, through the darkness seeking,

Again—again—and still again draws near?

What is the power that takes the feeble preaching,

And bears its message with resistless might?

Oh, stop and listen; it is God beseeching—

God calling us from darkness into light.

There is a love that from heaven’s height of blessing

Poured out itself upon the bitter cross,

And millions since, with joy that love confessing,

Have counted for it all earth’s gains but loss.

What is the power throughout the ages reaching,

Still drawing hearts to Jesus everywhere?

Oh, wonder not, for it is God beseeching—

God’s love untold still waiting for us there.

As though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20.

Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.
Hebrews 4:7

The Forecast

The weather forecasters were puzzled. The computers must be wrong. The computerized model of the National Weather Service showed a huge storm coming to the eastern United States—“a storm of relatively unprecedented proportions,” as Elbert Friday, the Service’s director, described it.

How could that be? Such a storm? A week before spring would officially begin? The weathermen shook their heads and concluded that the computers were wrong; someone had fed the wrong figures in, or had not used the right equations.

There was no mistake. The computers were right, and by the week’s end the whole eastern seaboard was swept by a “once in a lifetime” storm. Homes and buildings were destroyed, travel was disrupted, and lives were lost from the Tortugas to the Maritimes. Truly it was a storm of “unprecedented proportions.”

Another storm has been forecast, and it is a perfectly reliable forecast. The storm of God’s judgment on this whole world is not far in the future. We can see the storm winds rising already. The Bible has accurately described the signs of the last days.

One definite sign is that perilous times shall come. At a recent count there were 42 different parts of the world torn by civil strife, if not outright warfare, where the whole population lives in daily peril. Even in this land terrorist actions and a rising tide of crime leave few people confident of safety.

Safety? Where is it? As one man said, “The only safe place in a tornado is somewhere else!”

Exactly! And that is God’s plan for every born- again child of His. Before the full fury of that worldwide storm strikes, the Lord Jesus is going to descend from heaven with a shout . . . and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17.)

It could be today!

Will your eyes behold through the morning light

The city of gold and the harbor bright?

Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore

When life’s storms are past forevermore?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll;

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love

Promises

It is easy to make promises, and easy to forget them sometimes, but on December 7, 1941, Elmer Rund made a promise to God he could never forget.

At that time he was a P40 aircraft mechanic serving at Bellows Field. On that day nine Japanese Zero fighters began strafing the parked aircraft, and in the ensuing action two U.S. planes were shot down. Rund was next to Lt. Hans C. Christensen, a pilot, who was killed when the Japanese started strafing. He saw the enemy planes leaving, only to return immediately flying abreast with all guns firing down at the field.

His first reaction was to run as the bullets came nearer, thinking as he saw the tracers coming close, “This is the end!” Dropping to his knees he prayed, “Oh, God, spare me! I’ll do anything you want me to do!”

Miraculously the bullets never hit him, going right over his head. Truly God had spared him and, as he wondered at His goodness, he knew with certainty that God must have a purpose for his life—and that he must keep his promise to God.

Always in Rund’s mind was that promise, but it was fully ten years later, during service in the Korean war, that he finally understood God’s purpose and will for his life—in fact, for every life—that is, that God . . . is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Elmer Rund needed to repent and receive God’s Son, Jesus Christ, into his life in order to become, as John 1:12 says, His child. If he did this, God promised that He would receive him and he would be assured of heaven when he died. Ever since that day in 1951 he has known in his heart that he has eternal life and he can enjoy being God’s child—a Christian.

Reading his Bible one day, he found another promise God had made to him and kept. In Psalm 50:15 he read: Call upon Me in the day of trouble (facing death, Rund had certainly called upon God): I will deliver thee (the bullets passed right over his head), and Thou shalt glorify Me. To fulfill that purpose he began to tell his story to others.

Testifying to the way God had protected him, he spoke at a youth rally. How strange it seemed to meet another speaker: Captain Fuchida, the very man whose “Tora! Tora! Tora!” signalled the Pearl Harbor attack. He too had become a Christian, and together they witnessed to God’s redeeming love.

Now both these one-time enemies pray that you too would receive God’s forgiveness and love through Jesus Christ.

The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:30-35

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

This is the history of humanity from Adam to the present day: going down from the city of God to the city of the curse; going down in the ways of sin and sinful pleasures—thieves and robbers of what he once possessed. It takes in you and me—all of us who have departed from the ways of innocence into the ways of sin.

By chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

The priest, appointed by Moses’ law, should have had compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way. Had the priest forgotten this? He seems cold and indifferent. Ah, but this is a case beyond his ability to help. The man needs life and healing. It is a desperate case, and the priest passes by on the other side.

Likewise a Levite—appointed as Levites were to teach the law to the people—when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

It was not teaching that the dying man needed, but life and healing, which the Levite as well as the priest were utterly incompetent to give. So neither performs the neighborly act. In fact, they were both on the same road as the man lying there stripped and wounded by the thieves.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Here is the blessed gospel of God for every confessed sinner. We joyfully recognize this good Samaritan—Jesus, who came from heaven to seek and to save that which was lost. He had compassion; He did not pass by the needy—the dying—but came where he was. He bound up his wounds in His grace; He comforted and strengthened him with oil and wine. Dear Samaritan! Never did His enemies speak a truer word than when they mockingly said, This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

The wounded man, having received “first aid” was not left to shift alone as best he could. No, the Samaritan brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Even so does Jesus today care for those who turn to Him in their helplessness, for He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.

“Thousands have fled to His spear-pierced side:

Welcome they all have been—none are denied;

Weary and laden, they all have been blest;

Joyfully now in the Saviour they rest.”

Not Your Own

It had been a great coming-of-age party! Arthur Strong was still in a glow as he thought it all over. Life looked very good to him that night—and the future must be as bright. Yes, it had been a very satisfactory day.

Ready to undress for bed, Arthur’s hand automatically slipped into his pocket. There he found a folded bit of paper and he suddenly remembered a promise he had made earlier that day.

Among the visitors before the party had been an elderly uncle of his—“my religious old uncle,” Arthur laughingly called him. The old man had earned this title by speaking to him about eternal things—the very last subject his nephew wanted to hear about.

However, this uncle was a very wealthy man and Arthur wanted to keep himself in his good graces. Therefore on this occasion of his twenty-first birthday Arthur made sure that this “religious old uncle” was included in the invitations. He was not surprised when his elderly relative presented him with a very generous check; it might have been the gift which made Arthur willing to indulge his uncle in a small request.

Asked to take a short walk with his uncle, Arthur could not refuse, though he dreaded to be alone with his uncle for fear that he would speak to him about his soul. The old man guessed his feelings, and quickly reassured him. “My boy,” he said, “I shall not say anything of a religious nature to you today, but please take this piece of paper and, before you go to bed tonight, read it and fill in the one word that is missing.”

Glad to get off so easily, Arthur took the paper and gave his promise. Now as he stood alone in his room he prepared to keep his word. Unfolding the paper, he read the few words:

“To me to live is _______.”

“What in the world does that mean?” He stared at the piece of paper, completely puzzled. Then at the bottom written in small letters he read: Philippians 1:21.

“Oh. A Bible verse! That explains it. What funny notions my religious old uncle has.”

Now for the missing word. From the top shelf of his closet he retrieved his neglected Bible. It too was a gift from this uncle. With a little searching, the Bible reference was found and Arthur read the brief sentence aloud: To me to live is Christ.

“Poor old codger!” he thought. “How dreary! That may suit him, but it’s not my aim. I intend to enjoy myself, and I’m not ashamed of it. That’s what I’ll write—‘To me to live is to enjoy myself!’ ” Then with a sigh of relief Arthur signed his name and tucked both Bible and paper away. He fulfilled his promise to himself.

The years passed. Arthur married and had a child, a little girl, but other blessings were few. Following his plan of living for pleasure, he rapidly depleted what had been an abundant inheritance. Eventually, the time came when even his home and its furnishings must be sold.

As he stood in the dismantled house gloomily watching as the moving men packed his household effects, what a contrast he presented to the happy, carefree young man he had been at twenty-one. Even his voice expressed only hopelessness as he muttered, “My whole life is a failure.”

In the confusion of the dismantled rooms, only Arthur’s little girl, too young to realize the tragedy of it all, could find excitement and pleasure in examining the now unfamiliar furniture. Suddenly she came running to her father, holding up to him a folded bit of paper. “Look, Daddy! Look what I found,” she cried. “And it has writing on it.”

Absently taking the paper and unfolding it, the father read: “To me to live is—to enjoy myself,” and saw his own signature underneath. Oh, what a miserable failure it had all been! As he turned away and left the room his past years came before him in review.

“He had lived for himself,

He had thought for himself,

For himself and none beside,

Just as if Jesus had never lived;

As if He had never died.”

And what had been the end of it all? God spoke to him then and there, through that message from the past.

He fell on his knees, owning the mistake he had made. In true humility and contrition Arthur gave himself to the Saviour who had loved him and died to save him. “From now on,” he said, “to me to live shall be Christ.” v

Ye are not your own—
ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit,
which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 6:19,20

Guaranteed to Remove All Stains

As I opened my door one morning I found on the steps a handbill advertising a wonderful preparation for the removal of all stains in cloth: “Sure to work—never fails!”

I read it and thought of other stains—stains that had struck into the textures of life and left dark marks upon soul and character—guilty stains. Who is without some of these stains?

Oh, how we try to keep them out of sight and cover them up! But the spots stick; they will not come out. They may be carefully kept out of sight, so that the garment of life is made to look fairly respectable. However, sooner or later they show up and the very effort to conceal them often directs attention to them.

Now, what a sale one might have of a mixture that would take out the stains of sin! What a market it would find! Can anything do this? Yes, a stream, a mighty stream of precious blood, and “sinners washed in that blest flood, lose all their guilty stains.”

Precious, you say? Then is it too costly? It cost God the life of His beloved Son, but to you it is without money and without price. None are so poor but that they may wash in this soul-cleansing stream and be clean, for it is the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, that cleanses from all sin. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7.)

Soul-stained, sin-stained, will you try it? Try it, and you will find to your joyful satisfaction that it just meets your need—it is the very thing you want!

Come now, and let us reason together,
saith the Lord:
though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18

For Me

I have read of the Saviour’s love,

And a wonderful love it must be;

But did He come down from above

Out of love and compassion for me?

I’ve heard how He suffered and bled,

Of His anguish and death on the tree;

But then is it anywhere said

That He suffered and bled there for me?

I’ve been told of a heaven on high,

Which the children of God will soon see;

But is there a place in the sky

Made ready and furnished for me?

Oh, yes! For His love is as wide

And as deep as the fathomless sea;

And love such as this will provide

All blessings eternal for me!

What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:36,37

Going West - or East?

“Well, Dent, I’m so glad to see you out again. I thought once you were ‘going west.’ ”

The two soldiers had met in the hospital grounds. Dent, a man with tired, worn face and wearing hospital blue, sat resting under the trees. His eyes were bright and hopeful enough in spite of all he had evidently endured. He replied heartily to his friend’s greeting with, “No, old boy, I’m getting on fine, but I would not have ‘gone west’ anyhow.”

“Well, you know what I mean—‘pass on,’ ‘go under,’ ‘peg out’—don’t you know?”

The man in blue smiled quietly.

“Yes, I do know what you mean, and I’d like to explain what I mean. Can you sit down a bit? My leg is still a bit shaky.”

The other soldier sat down by his side and replied: “Go to it, Dent. I’ve wanted to hear how you got out of that scrape. A lot of the fellows didn’t make it, I hear.”

“Well, we had just made a grand rush to reach the top of the hill, and the worst was over before I was hit. I ran on for a bit before I fell. I must have lain there a long time, for it was dark when I came to myself and my pants were saturated with blood. A burning pain soon aroused me entirely.

“It was weird, I can tell you, waking up like that. It hurt too much to move, and I lay still till a shell burst and lit up the area for an instant. I spied the outline of a shell hole, and tried to crawl to a bit of shelter.

“I had got about halfway when I came to one of our company. At first I thought he was done for, but I slipped my hand into his jacket and found his heart was beating, so I dragged and rolled and pulled him along with me towards a fairly decent mound of earth. For a little while I just lay there beside him, wondering who my buddy was.

“Another light flashed in the sky, and I got a good look at his face. Yes, I knew him. He was a fellow from our platoon named Gilbert. There was a touch of the saint perhaps about him, but he was a good sport for all that.

“He was too good a man to lose, and I tried to bring him round, but it was not easy there in the dark with my leg throbbing at every movement. I had some water left, and I got a few drops down his throat and laid close to get some warmth into him.

“At last he began to rouse, and I told him who I was. I said all the cheery things I could think of, such as ‘cheer up,’ and ‘keep smiling,’ but he did not rally. At last I said: ‘Gil, old man, I’m afraid you are “going west.” Have you any messages?’

“Gilbert roused then. ‘No, I am going east; not to the night, but to the dawn.’

“I thought he was wandering, so I tried again. ‘Chum, you are pretty badly hurt; I’m afraid you are—’ and I stopped because I hesitated to say he was dying. He held my hand tight then, and said: ‘Yes, I know, but it is to the day I’m going. Christ has opened the kingdom of heaven for me. I know that, and I am so glad.’

“That was too much for me! I knew I was in deadly danger. At any moment a shot might find us and finish us off. At such a time a man is pretty honest with himself. I was not very religious, but I had done a bit of thinking. I had put up a bit of a prayer when we went out, but I was not ready like Gil.

“It came over me all of a sudden—what was the difference between ‘going west’ and ‘going east’? Here was a man who could tell me, if he only held out long enough. I put my lips to his ear and whispered: ‘Gil, can you tell me how I can “go east” too?’

“That roused him! He seemed to come right back, and spoke strongly as he gripped my hand. ‘Old man, the way is straight before you; it is Christ Himself.’

“ ‘Yes, but Gil! You know I’ve forgotten Him all these years.’ As I said this I felt how far I was from the Way he spoke of. Gil lay still for a bit, then whispered: ‘There’s the cross, you know, and the Man who died on it! You remember the old Sunday school song:

‘He died that we might be forgiven,

He died to make us good;

That we might go at last to heaven,

Saved by His precious blood.’

“Yes, I remembered it well. But after all, it was only a hymn. Could I rest my soul on that? I tried again: ‘But Gil, is that the truth? Is that all?’

“Again he whispered, ‘Yes, chum, it’s true. Listen to this: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That’s you and me. Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. That’s yours and mine. Christ also hath suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. Don’t you see that is turning us to the dawn—to the day?’

“It was too easy, I thought. I must know more.

“ ‘Yes, Gil, but what am I going to do to get all that? What is the connecting link?’

“ ‘Do! Why, nothing! It’s all done by Him at Calvary. Ask Him to take you as you are; He will do all the rest.’

“I thought it over as best I could. There must be something for me to do, something to bring as a kind of atonement for the past. But after all, Gilbert knew best, and there was no other way I could see. I let myself go and prayed the only words which came to my mind: God, be merciful to me a sinner.

“Then Gilbert’s voice, very faint, came once more: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’

“It was just as if God Himself had spoken. He seemed very near to us then. I trembled as I lay, but the burden had gone and I thanked Him from my heart. Whatever came now I was safe. I did not understand, but I knew whom I had believed. That was even better than understanding. I felt Gilbert’s hand tighten as he whispered, ‘Thank God!’ He did not speak again.

“Now do you see why I never say I am ‘going west’? God has turned me from darkness to light, and has given me the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Kidnapped!

The voices rose and fell—loud voices, angry voices—as the four men argued over what they should do with their captive. Blindfolded in the next room, Bob Thomas listened to the voices now rising in frustration. He felt sure they would kill him soon; the only uncertainty was how or when death would come.

Eighteen hours earlier he had been snatched from the driveway of his home and thrown into the back of a van. Stripped, handcuffed, blindfolded, hit on the head and finally imprisoned in the bedroom of a strange house, he could see little hope of making his escape. Even if he could get outside, an attack of polio had left him unable to walk without the aid of two crutches. He could think of no way to get away from his captors.

Angrier grew the voices. They had kidnapped Thomas in the hope of extorting five million dollars from his family, but they were finding out that he had settled all his accounts in such a way that no funds could be released. At least one of the kidnappers was sure he had been recognized by their victim; if Thomas lived to identify him, prison doors would likely be open for all of them.

One thing they had not taken into account. Thomas was a Christian. At midnight he remembered other prisoners at midnight: Paul and Silas in the account in the Bible. They had been beaten and thrown into prison. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. (Acts 16:25,26.)

Bob Thomas started singing.

There was a startled silence in the next room. Then, “What’s he doing?” he heard one say.

“He’s singing hymns!”

The earth didn’t quake, but just possibly the kidnappers did! Four hours after he began singing, Thomas returned home to his wife and son, thanking God that he had lived and was free.

Was that a miracle? No, just an example of God’s care for one of His children. It is happening every day, everywhere, in both tremendous mercies like Thomas’s release and in things so small that we are hardly aware of them.

The real miracle was the change in the hearts of the men. They released Thomas without a penny of ransom, even with an apology from one, and three fifty dollar bills to replace what they had taken from his wallet.

Two of the men have been arrested by the FBI; the other two are still at large, but Thomas still prays for all four. He says, “I want them to go to heaven,” and that there can still be love and forgiveness in his heart is perhaps a miracle too!

He can hope that some day, like the jailor in charge of Paul and Silas, they will ask the simple question, What must I do to be saved? And the answer will be as simple: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:30,31.)

"I Don't Feel Right"

“Yes, I do believe on Jesus, but I just don’t FEEL right.”

Have you ever said this? Maybe a little experience I once had will help explain your feelings. A friend and I went down into a coal mine. As we descended we had very peculiar feelings. Going down only a short distance, I felt precisely as though we were going UP; and I would have been sure of it if I had not positively known that we were going DOWN.

We explored the mine and returned, the cage coming down to where we were to lift us from the darkness and dirt of the pit to the light of the outer world. Then my feelings were exactly reversed. I felt as though we were dropping DOWN, but I knew that the powerful engine was bearing us UP as fast as it could; and we soon stepped out on the ground in the open air.

Isn’t this a little like the experience of many people? When they are going downward at a rapid rate to the pit of everlasting despair, Satan does his best to give them happy, comfortable feelings. If they are questioned as to their salvation, their reply is, “Oh, we certainly hope to be saved! We feel we are quite all right!”

But when the conscience is aroused and the lost sinner sees himself in all his guilt before God, what a change! No flippantly expressed hope will satisfy him now; he must KNOW that there is a Saviour for him. How can he know? The Word of God replies, This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15.)

As the cage descended to lift us from the bottom of the coal mine, so the Saviour descended into this dark world to save our souls. As we stepped into the cage, trusting it to carry us every inch of the way, so may you trust that Saviour who died for you. The Word which tells of Him is faithful, and worthy of your acceptance.

“I do accept it,” you say, “and trust Jesus as my Saviour; yet I FEEL as though I must go to hell, for I am such a sinner.”

This is Satan’s work again. When you were going to hell as fast as time could carry you, he wanted to make sure you felt as though you were going to heaven. Now, when Jesus is bearing you up to glory by His mighty power, Satan would make you feel as if you must drop down to hell.

What is the cure? Forget your feelings; just hold fast to what you KNOW. God’s Word says: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life. Whatever your feelings may be, God would have you KNOW that you have eternal life.

The One who died for lost sinners upon Calvary’s cross is a perfect, eternal Saviour. Trust Him unwaveringly every step of the way. Meet Satan’s temptations with the words of God’s assurance: not “I FEEL,” but “I KNOW!” Sooner or later, every timid soul that has trusted Jesus will have the joy of stepping into the bright glory of God to sing forever the praise of a faithful Saviour. v

For I KNOW whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that
He is able
to keep that which I have
committed unto Him
against that day.

2 Timothy 1:12

Christ Is the Way

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. (John 14:6.)

That being so—and our Lord Himself says it—clearly we can never save ourselves. The Word of God tells us that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

Then how can we escape the judgment of God? God’s Word answers the question: When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

These words exactly describe our natural state. We are without strength. Ungodly. But the very verse that states that the wages of sin is death, goes on to say, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23.)

The Word of God tells us too that Christ died for our sins, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Believe it!

The Best Things Are Free

If you could have just what you like, what would you choose? Would it be money? Well, in some ways that would be a wise choice, for money will buy a great many things. You might wish for this or that, but if you wished for plenty of money, you could get anything that money could buy.

But there are things that money cannot buy. You know that. It cannot buy the best things. It cannot buy relief from envy, jealousy, revenge, remorse. It cannot buy peace of mind and conscience. It cannot even buy health or freedom from pain. When you come to think of it, money has a very limited use.

Above all, it cannot buy life—it cannot keep from death. Neither can it give confidence in the future as to the sins we have committed. The poorest here is on a footing with the richest. Money will not—cannot—buy freedom from guilt and from sin.

Now think it over and say whether it would not be better to have God take away your sins—to have them all gone forever—than to have millions of dollars. Would it not be better to be a child of God, to know Him, to be sure of His love and favor, than to be the richest person in the country?

You know that it would be. More than that, you know that you cannot buy the love and the favor of God with money. You cannot buy salvation with money. The best things, the most desirable things, the things that last eternally, cannot be bought with money.

No, they are free gifts. They are for poor and rich alike, for all who will receive them. They are God’s gifts to sinners.

Now, if they are free, why do you not accept them? If someone should offer you a million dollars, how long would you hesitate before accepting it? You would take it as soon as you could; you would be eager to get possession of it.

But there is something better offered to you freely. Something vastly better than money or anything that money can buy is placed before you and you are told to help yourself. Why do you wait? Why do you not make sure of the best things while they are within your reach?

The Spirit of God says, through the prophet Isaiah: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1.)

By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8.)

Just to Please Jesus

Paying a visit to sorrow’s abode,

Helping a burdened one on a rough road;

This sweet thought making duty delight,

Turning the shadows of gloom into light—

Just to please Jesus.

Staying at home with the children, perchance,

Watching the sick one’s wandering glance;

Sweeping and dusting and tidying home—

Deeds not recorded ’neath Fame’s painted dome—

Just to please Jesus.

Swinging the hammer if duty demands,

Plying the needle with quick, willing hands;

Using the pencil, the pick or the pen,

Serving my Lord and my own fellowmen—

Just to please Jesus.

Giving a smile or taking a hand,

Leading lost feet to a far better land;

Doing and thinking, and hearing and seeing,

Eating and drinking and working and being—

Just to please Jesus.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Praying Jack

Jack came by the nickname of “praying Jack” honestly. He did pray—oh, how he prayed!—for all he came in contact with, and especially for the men on his ship, for Jack was a sailor. The other sailors were not so sure they appreciated his prayers, and they made his life miserable at times.

Thomas Welsh, one of the sailors, seemed especially gifted in thinking up new torments for young “praying Jack,” but one day he came down with a very dangerous fever. The others promptly began to distance themselves from contagion, and Thomas Welsh was left pretty much alone in his sickness.

“Shall poor Thomas Welsh,” said Jack to himself, “die without anyone speaking to him of the love of Christ? Doesn’t the Bible say, Love your enemies . . . and pray for them which . . . persecute you? Thank God I can read my Bible. I’ll read it to Tom. At least, I’ll try—if he’ll let me.”

And so Jack did, and there as the sun went down he sat reading to the dying sailor some of God’s words.

“All we like sheep have gone astray,” read Jack, “and the Lord [has] laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The Lord is ready to forgive.”

But there in his berth lay the sailor with a body almost consumed with fever and a mind distracted by despair.

“Oh, Welsh, believe this good news,” said Jack gently.

There was no response from the dying man.

“O Lord, open his heart to receive the love of Christ,” prayed Jack fervently. “O God, save Tom Welsh!”

There was another pause while he waited for the sailor to speak, but no words came.

“O Lord, he cannot hope in Thy mercy.”

“No!” exclaimed the dying man; “there can be no mercy for me.”

“He says, O God, there is no mercy for him; but isn’t there plenteous redemption with Thee if he will just receive it?”

“I can’t,” groaned the sailor, “I never prayed.”

“O God, hear his groan! It’s the groan of the helpless.”

“Yes,” repeated Welsh; “helpless—I am helpless.”

“O Jesus, art Thou not a helper of the helpless? Tell him Thou didst die for the ungodly.”

“Oh no!” exclaimed Tom in agony as he clasped his hands more tightly. “He couldn’t have died for me—for drinking, swearing Tom Welsh.”

“Show him, Lord, that whosoever comes unto Thee, Thou wilt in no wise cast out.”

Jack took the dying man’s hands in his and lifted them up. “Oh, draw him by Thy power! Who can save him? We can’t. Lord, do save Tom Welsh!”

At last light dawned upon the midnight blackness of Tom’s soul. He saw his sins; he saw the blood of Christ, and he saw there was mercy for him.

“Jack,” said Welsh a few hours before he died, “give me your hand. Can you forgive me, Jack?”

Jack pressed the sailor’s hand. He couldn’t speak, but there was no need for it. Welsh understood the meaning of that pressure.

“I’ve been a bad fellow to you, Jack. Oh, what a change now! And all this thanks to you!”

“No, not to me! To Christ Jesus!”

“Yes, yes, I know that. But still, Jack, it was you who read to me and talked to me and prayed for me. Good-by, Jack. My poor body is a wreck down to the very keel, but through the mercy of God my soul is going into port in full sail. I shall soon drop anchor, and then—oh, for the leap on shore!”

The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.

Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.

The Foolish Rich Man

Have you ever read the story of the rich man who was called a fool? His fields had produced a plentiful harvest—so much that he did not know what to do with it all. He said, I will pull down my barns, and build greater. . . . I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. (Luke 12:18,19.)

But God said unto him, Thou fool. (Verse 20.)

What the rich farmer said is like a businessman today who says: “Well now, I have done well in business. I have worked hard to earn what I have, and now I have plenty in the bank—there is enough to last my lifetime. I shall take it easy the rest of my life.”

Nothing very wrong in that, is there? Nothing dishonest in hard work, nothing foolish in saving what he earned, nothing sinful in wanting to take things easy. Why, then, does the voice of God sound in his ears, “FOOL!”?

He was a fool because he left God out. He made wise provision for his body, but he forgot his soul. He took care to see to his physical comforts, but he forgot about his soul’s future. He valued his body highly, his soul at nothing. Because he did this, God called him a fool. That night his soul was required of him.

That night he saw his schemes for large barns and larger comforts fade away from him. He felt the things which he had wanted so much slipping away from him. What were his thoughts as he found himself sinking into eternity without God and without hope, with a soul unprepared to meet God?

When morning dawned, the harvest was there, the barns were there, but the man had gone.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36.)

While we know that this man was a sinner, we do not read that he was guilty of any great sin. God did not call him a fool for being a sinner; he was a fool because he left God out. Are you in danger of doing the same?

Your immortal soul is your most valuable possession. Though your body may die, your soul will live on. But where? Will it be the Father’s house (heaven) or the lake of fire? Rest assured, if you leave God out, He will leave you out!

What must I do to be saved? . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:30,31.)

The Monkeys and the Bridge

The land of Burma is famous for its cane bridges. Woven of cane, bamboo and vegetable fibers, they swing (and sway!) across rushing rivers and sharp boulders. A pedestrian, or even a mule, can cross in safety, but when railroads were built, the cane bridges were obviously unequal to carrying the smallest of trains across. Engineers were called in, and a great steel bridge was constructed to carry the railroad across a deep gorge.

It is a wonderful bridge, constructed somewhat on the plan of latticework with many girders and crosspieces, giving the bridge a graceful appearance. Many visitors travel to the spot just to look at the marvelous bridge. They are rewarded with much amusement as well, for the bridge is a glorious playground for monkeys. Far below the level of the railway the monkeys swing and jump from bar to bar, or rod to rod, as though these enticing steel girders had been built just for them.

The bridge was not built for the monkeys to use as a gigantic gym, but for passengers who want to go right on their journey and to cross in safety from one side of the gorge to the other. What a lesson can be learned from this bridge and the monkeys!

The Lord Jesus is the only way from death to life, from the shore of destruction to the land of eternal joy and peace. It is He alone who can bring men from earth to heaven. It is He alone who stretches out one hand to God in His holiness and the other hand to man in his guilt, and by His death on the cross opens up the way for sinners to be brought to God. He has brought the believer near to God by the blood He shed on the cross. The Lord Jesus is able and willing to bear up all those who commit themselves to Him. He loses none. He is the safe and living way.

What madness to do as many are doing now. They imitate the practice of the poor monkey. They play and trifle with some portion of the eternal truths, but will not cross over from death to life by Him through whom alone they can be saved. Like the monkeys, they will never cross the bridge.

To play with philosophical questions, to be taken up with social issues, to be deluded with the thought that an outwardly good life will lead to heaven, is to act with less wisdom than the monkeys on the bridge. They have no responsibility for the future, but people have.

Examine yourself by the light of God’s Word. If you do not know what it is to have found safety in the Lord Jesus, then stop playing on the bridge and cross over to Him NOW.

Remember, there is a great gulf which, when it is too late, many will want to cross—but none shall be able.

Behold, now is the accepted time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:2

The Power of the Gospel

I once met a man who told me that, twenty-one years before, he had been without question the worst man in town. He had been a drunken, blaspheming skeptic, but a bit of God’s Word heard at an open-air meeting had reached his heart and he turned to the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was a mechanic, and in the shop where he worked were six other unbelievers. They first laughed at him, and then afterwards often tried to draw him into argument. His only reply was simply: “I am not going to argue with you, for you can beat me at that; but you know what I was, and you see what I am now. If you want to argue, argue with the power of God that saved and keeps me.”

They saw it, and their mouths were closed. They could not argue with that. Before long he had the joy of seeing these six fellow-workers become fellow-Christians!

He could truly say that I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.

Car vs. Train

It was such a pretty little car, that shiny little red Honda Civic. But it was no match for the big CSX train! There the little car sat, practically under the train, with its windshield crushed, frame bent, and hood, doors and fenders all one inextricably tangled mass of steel. Foolish little red car!

Or should we say, Foolish driver? The little car was fit only for one more trip—to the junkyard—but the driver was only slightly injured. Now, trains do not leave the tracks and pursue a victim down the street; they go right on their own track. The crossing signals were working. How then could it have happened?

The driver said he had his windows rolled up and the radio playing, and he never heard the train nor saw the signals. Insulated in his own little capsule, he felt perfectly safe until the moment when his little world crashed. Sad—sad—sad!

But how very, very human. It is so easy to surround ourselves with our own affairs, our own comforts, our own interests, and to be unconscious of anything else until a crash comes. The driver of the little Honda lived to drive again, but many, many drivers have gone carelessly into a crossing and have not lived to have another chance.

Hopefully, a crash will only shake our complacency and wake us to reality. We cannot cocoon ourselves from trouble, but there is One who can be a refuge . . . a very present help in trouble. If we know Him and know His love and power and care for us, we can never, never be totally destroyed.

We can be shaken, yes, but always with the knowledge that the eternal God is Thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Why not acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace?

Boast not thyself of tomorrow;
for thou knowest not
what a day may
bring forth.

Proverbs 27:1

"So Plain-So Precious!"

An evangelist visiting an elderly woman asked her whether or not her soul was saved.

“No, that’s just what I want to know,” she replied earnestly.

“How are you going to be saved?”

“That’s just what I want to know,” she repeated.

“Well, let us look then at what God says.

Immediately she brought out her Bible and settled herself to listen.

Her visitor opened his own Bible, and asked her to read the three following verses:

1. He that believeth on the Son HATH everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36.)

2. He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, HATH everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24.)

3. He that believeth on Me HATH everlasting life. (John 6:47.)

She read them slowly aloud, one after the other, looking at them intently for some minutes. All at once she looked up into her visitor’s face and said, “Well, that is strange! Here I’ve been hoping and struggling and sometimes thinking myself a castaway, and it’s all as plain as that! Well, that is strange. How stupid I have been!”

“Well,” replied he, “that is God’s Word: the words of the Son of God.”

“I know that.”

“And the verses are in your own Bible.”

“Yes, there they are.”

“Have you eternal life then?”

“Well, yes, I must have it; it says so there!”

“What does it say?”

She read the words again and said, “I do believe, and there it is in my own Bible, it’s all plain.”

With a few more remarks, the preacher knelt down before he left and with her praised the Lord for His goodness.

A few days later he found her still rejoicing in the truth she had seen the week before. After speaking for a few minutes of its simplicity, she said, “Here I’d been puzzling over it, my daughter and me, many a time, and nobody to help us. Now it’s all as plain as that. I sat up till midnight after you’d left going over and over those verses. They were so plain—so precious! I can see it all plain now, thank God!”

How is it with you? A free and full salvation is to be enjoyed now by all who repent and believe God’s holy Word. The work of Christ is a finished work. He is the perfect Saviour for everyone who believes.

Whosoever

“Yes, but I wove the cruel crown of thorns

To pierce His brow—a crown to prove

In mockery we would not have

The Son of God as King o’er us.”

But sweet and true

The words “for you—for every one of you.”

“Oh, me; I threw Him backward there

Upon the cross—in brutal strength

Crucified Christ, God’s unresisting Lamb

Who used His power to heal, and bless, and save.”

But love anew

Cries out, “For you—for every one of you.”

“And I (in tears and bitterness I tell),

I held His quivering hand while, fiendish, fell

The anguish strokes upon the rasping nail!

The hand which healed—what can for me avail?”

Ah, if you knew!

He says, “For you—for every one of you.”

“But I, oh, misery! I bound His feet

With soiled hands awhile, then fixed them there;

Feet, hunting sin and sorrow through the land

In love that could not rest while One had strength.”

Still, like the dew,

The sweet “for you—for every one of you.”

Oh, souls, no matter what your sins have been

Against the Lord of life, between

Your heart, so stained, and His there lies

Alone the wondrous love which cries,

“I shed My blood, I gave My life for you;

Oh, how can you, refusing, wound anew?”

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Romans 1:16

The Father's Kiss

Two little boys were fishing from the riverbank. Accidentally, they both fell into the water. A young man who was fishing nearby dived in after them. He was not a very good swimmer, but managed to bring both the youngsters to the bank safely. He then found himself in difficulties. Weighted down with water-soaked clothing and exhausted by his struggle to save the boys, the steep, slippery bank of the river was too much for him and soon he slipped back into the water and was drowned.

A few days later the two little boys stood close to the coffin at the cemetery. When the funeral was over, the father of the young man who had died in saving them came up to the two little boys. Bending down, he gave each one a kiss and prayed God’s blessing upon them.

There was present a Christian who was to preach the gospel that evening. Standing before his audience he said, “Today I saw something I have never seen before. A father kissed two boys who had caused the death of his son.”

He then told them about the funeral. “And,” he said, “that is what God in His great love is doing now, kissing any who come to Him believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, in spite of the fact that they were the cause of the death of His Son.”

One man in the audience, one of the worst characters in that place, came up to the preacher after the meeting and asked, “Does God kiss all repentant ones like that?”

“Yes,” the preacher replied, “if they come to Him in faith, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, they will receive pardon, peace and blessing.”

He answered, “I will come to Him right now!”

If your decision is the same, you will know forgiveness and learn the joy of the Father’s kiss.

Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved.

Acts 16:31

Him that cometh to Me I will
in no wise cast out.

John 6:37

The Boxer

Will Thompson was a professional boxer—a champion. Years of successful bouts had brought money flowing freely in—but it flowed out even faster. “Easy come, easy go” seemed to be his motto, and the usual crowd of hangers-on helped him in his spending.

Eventually the years came when he could no longer command a big sum defending his title. Still he attracted the old crowd around him and the drinking and gambling and general carousing went on as before.

At last his money was gone, then friends were gone, and he found himself the occupant of a prison cell. He was sixty years old, and had never attended a place of worship, heard the Bible read, or mixed in any way with professors of religion. Against his will, he was required to attend chapel while in jail. On one occasion the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) was read. This was something in his own line! He was intensely interested. He understood it all, and at the close he applauded loudly. “I’m glad the little ’un won,” he said with satisfaction.

Returning to his cell, he walked back and forth thinking about the fight and, considering how unequally matched the men were, came to the conclusion that God must have helped the little one.

The next Sunday the talk was on Judges 20:16: There were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

Being a lefthanded man himself, he felt a pleasure in hearing there had been others lefthanded in the Bible too. He began to think the Bible was a strange book, very different from his ideas of it, and resolved to listen more carefully next time.

The next Bible story he heard was of the three Hebrew youths: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He had fought under the name “Bendigo” and the name “Abed-nego” sounded to him like the one he had used. He said to himself, “If one Bendigo was saved, why not another?”

Soon after this he was a free man again. At the prison gate he found quite a crowd of his old companions waiting to welcome him. To their astonishment he refused all their offers to drink and declared once and for all that he had done with the old life. He would never enter a bar again.

That same evening he found his way to a mission hall where special services were held. His conviction of sin grew deeper. He left wretched and miserable, but on his way home, though the snow lay thick on the ground, he fell to his knees and cried for mercy. Soon he was able to rest his soul by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, found peace in believing, and went home justified and saved.

Day by day he grew in grace and in the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour. He began to take part in Christian work. Snatched from the kingdom of darkness, introduced into the light, liberty and joy of the kingdom of Christ, his heart longed for the salvation of others.

Have you, like this boxer, really and truly been converted to God. If not, do follow his example. The Lord Jesus said, Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise [no way] cast out. Believe on Him now.

Remember now thy Creator
in the days of thy youth,
while the evil days come not,
nor the years draw nigh,
when thou shalt say,
I have no pleasure in them.

Ecclesiastes 12:1

"What Must I Do to Be Saved?"

How can I get right with God?

By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9.)

But how can God save me without my doing anything to deserve it?

Through this man [Christ Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things. (Acts 13:38,39.)

But how can I know that this is for ME?

Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise [no way] cast out. (John 6:37.)

Then how can I have this salvation for myself?

Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17.)

The Contrast

It is the playground of the world. There is everything for the vacationer—beautiful, luxurious hotels and restaurants and shops—and tourists flock there from all over the globe to enjoy them and to share in the lights and music and laughter and illusion of the big entertainment complexes. You can call it Pleasure World.

Not far away there is a different world. A place where workers make weapons of war, terrible weapons of destruction, such as the Patriot missiles that were used during the war in the Persian Gulf. Stored there are warheads, rocket motors, and fully armed missiles, waiting—waiting. Security cameras watch silently over hundreds of missiles. Over a million pounds of missiles and rockets rest quietly in the so-called “Remote Area”—remote no longer.

Once it was really remote, with a wide belt of vacant land for safety around it. Now progress and development have encroached and encircled it until they almost meet across the chain link fence that separates them. Is it still safe?

What if—a terrorist targeted one of the metal storage buildings and started a fire? The motors are packed with extremely volatile fuel.

What if—lightning started a fire in the grounds? On an average, lightning hits each square mile in Central Florida fifty times a year. That means an average of 125 strikes in the remote area every year.

What if—the more than 30,000 motorists who daily drive as close as one-fifth of a mile (that’s only a little more than 1000 feet) to some of those stockpiles of disaster were aware of the possibilities? Would they perhaps choose another route?

Or would a little of the glitter be rubbed off the shining playground?

Probably not.

It’s just human nature to think: “I don’t see anything wrong.” “It has never happened.” “It can’t happen to ME!” The it-can’t-happen-here syndrome is widespread.

Why not? In a world and time when we are increasingly sure of only uncertainties, how many people actually sit down and think seriously: “Tomorrow I might not be here”? How many consider: “I could die tonight”?

Has it ever occurred to you?

No one is immune from disaster. No one has a guaranteed lifetime. But that is only for the here and now. There is something beyond; it is called eternity—forever. And that is guaranteed. Whether it is reached sooner or later is not important; what really matters is where will it be spent?

There are only two places: one is with God, who is light and love. The other is away from Him, which necessarily means being away from light. It means darkness, the blackness of darkness forever. It means away from love, all love, in a place of weeping and wailing.

Tonight—tomorrow—twenty years from now—it is still appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

Is anything more important than being prepared for that?

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36.)

I have set before you life and death . . . therefore choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:19

The Light of the Glory

I had been brought up in a Christian home and had heard the Bible read both at home and at Sunday School, but I never really knew God’s love until, at nineteen, I was sent overseas in the service.

Arriving late at my station, I soon went to my bedroom. The thought came, “I will say my prayers.” It had been my habit in childhood, but neglected for many years.

I knelt down beside my bed, but found I had forgotten what to say. I looked up, trying to remember. My mind was a blank. Suddenly there came to me something I had never known before. Could it be, I thought, that Someone infinite and Almighty—Someone all-knowing, yet full of the deepest, tenderest interest in me—was making known to me that He loved me?

In the lonely quietness around me I waited expectantly. My eyes saw no one; my ears heard no one; but in my inmost heart I knew assuredly that the One whom I did not know, and had never met, had met me, and that He was making me know that we were together.

His was a Presence that no sense or faculty of my own human nature had ever known, and this was a knowledge of infinite Greatness, a Person altogether apart and supreme. God was making Himself known to me in a way that I, as a human being, could thoroughly appreciate and enjoy.

For the first time I knew God as infinite love itself, and—wonder of wonders!—I was loved individually by Him. The exquisite tenderness and fulness of that love claimed me for Himself, although in the revealing light of that love I now saw myself to be the unworthy object of His plan and purpose. I was condemned.

I wept there on my knees, for how long I do not know. The deep sense of my guilt and lost condition overwhelmed me, and I cried to God for mercy, pardon and peace. At last the warmth of His love enfolded me, and the precious sense of His forgiveness and acceptance of one so unworthy as I entered my sin-darkened heart. I was saved!

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6.)

With joy unspeakable and full of glory, I could now claim for myself these lines as descriptive of that night’s experience:

“Christ, the Father’s rest eternal,

Jesus once looked down on me,

Called me by my name external,

And revealed Himself to me.

With His whisper, life, light-giving,

Glowed in me, the dark, the dead,

Made me live, Himself receiving,

Who once died for me and bled.”

God Says . . .

. . . All have sinned (Romans 3:23).

. . . The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

. . . After this [death] the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

. . . But please read on . . .

God has a message for you.

All sin is against God, and God is against all sin. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil. (1 Peter 3:12.)

God is against sin, but for the sinner. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8.)

God says: “Repent.” God . . . now commandeth all men every where to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. (Acts 17:30,31.)

God says: “Believe.” For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.)

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36.)

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:31.)

The Cross Was His Own

They borrowed a bed to lay His head

When Christ the Lord came down;

They borrowed the ass in the mountain pass

For Him to ride to town;

But the crown that He wore

And the cross that He bore

Were His own.

He borrowed the bread when the crowd He fed

On the grassy mountainside;

He borrowed the dish of broken fish

With which He satisfied;

But the crown that He wore

And the cross that He bore

Were His own.

He borrowed a room on the way to the tomb

The passover lamb to eat;

They borrowed the cave, for Him a grave;

They borrowed the winding sheet.

But the crown that He wore

And the cross that He bore

Were His own.

The thorns on His head were born in my stead,

For me the Saviour died.

For guilt of my sin the nails drove in

When Him they crucified.

Though the crown that He wore

And the cross that He bore

Were His own—

They rightly were mine.

Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24.)

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13

Complete Deliverances

Several Chinese men were engaged in Bible study, their heads close together around the smoky oil lamp that cast a little light and great swaying shadows on the four walls. They were reading and discussing the record of the Apostle Peter’s imprisonment and miraculous deliverance.

Unnoticed by the men, a boy had entered the room through the door which opened on the street. He stood there for a few minutes examining the scene and wondering what these men were doing. He heard them mention someone called JESUS, and he gathered from their remarks that this JESUS had done a very surprising thing. Evidently someone had been chained in jail and guarded by soldiers, and this JESUS had broken the chains and helped the man get out. Soon losing interest, however, the boy slipped out again.

Many years later, during that troubled period in China which followed the overthrow of the old imperial order and the setting up of the Republic, when numerous ambitious war lords each raised his own army and each fought against the rest, calling the others “outlaws” because they too aspired to supreme authority—during those stormy times this same boy, now grown to manhood, was serving as a soldier in one of these armies. Growing up in the lawless atmosphere of the bandit-ridden mountains where he had been born, he was hard and fearless, addicted to opium, brutal to his wife, and so fierce of temper that even his best friends were afraid to provoke him.

The old men in his town shook their heads and dismally prophesied a bad ending to such a vicious career as his. They felt there was little chance of his ever mending his ways.

And their foreboding was very nearly realized! The army in which he was enlisted was garrisoning in his home district when an invading army, also Chinese, arrived. A battle followed in which the invaders came off victorious. Immediately they occupied all the walled towns and cities in that section of country, and began to mop up the remnants of the defeated force. Some escaped, others were killed, and many were taken captive. Our friend was captured and, together with a number of others, was cast into an improvised military prison to await trial as an outlaw and finally, upon a day fixed by a military tribunal, to be executed.

Chained in that grim room, all his former self-confidence forsook him as he found himself helplessly at the mercy of men who did not fear him in the least. Well he knew that no friend or relative would risk life or property in an attempt to get release for such as he. His past record was against him, and death—terrifying death—was creeping remorselessly towards him. He wanted to flee it, but he was chained fast and there was no escape.

Then that story heard in childhood came back to his mind. A man had been chained in jail, he remembered, and though guards were watching him, someone called JESUS sent one to him who put the guards to sleep, broke the chains, opened the iron doors, and took the man out. “If JESUS did this for that man, cannot He do it for me also?” he reasoned.

Quietly, lest the others notice such unusual behavior, he began to address words to an unseen, unknown person called JESUS. “JESUS, please save me out of this jail as you saved that man I heard about when I was a boy.”

Thus he prayed, over and over, for several days. Then it occurred to him that the other prisoners were no worse or any less deserving of release than he, so he altered his prayer: “JESUS, perhaps it would not be fair to save me only. We all need saving; we are all afraid to die. Save all these men, as well as me.”

Soon other difficulties suggested themselves to his mind. “Supposing we are released? Soldiers in other towns through which we must pass to reach our homes will not know we are pardoned prisoners. They will kill us, or imprison us again.

He prayed again: “O JESUS, please move the heart of the judge to grant us passes when he sets us free, so we can all reach our homes safely!”

Later he remembered that they were penniless and home was far away, for by this time he had practically taken it for granted that pardon was certain. They would starve before they could reach their own families again, he reasoned, and so he pled, “O JESUS, when you cause the judge to set us free, please move his heart to give each of us some money for traveling, so we need not go hungry.”

At last the dread day dawned, the day for their execution. An armed guard barked out a sharp order for the prisoners to line up and, chains still clanking on their legs, they stumbled to their feet to obey. Our praying friend suddenly was overcome with choking fear, and all assurance of release disappeared like a puff of smoke. Death stared at him and mocked his childish praying fancies. He dared not stand first in the line, nor dared he stand last in line lest he have to witness all the others dying before him. He took his place in the middle.

Out they stumbled into the bright sunlight, long-haired, ragged, faces a pasty gray and eyes glazed with hopeless fear. A crisp voice penetrated their consciousness: “Men, today I am happy to announce that your cases have been examined and, in view of the circumstances surrounding your capture, leniency is to be shown each of you. You are pardoned. Go home!” It was the judge himself speaking.

The prisoners stood still—stunned, unbelieving. “You with the hammer and chisel, get busy! Cut their shackles and be quick about it!”

Freed, the prisoners still hesitated, fearing it was a trick, fearing they would be shot in the back if they attempted to start for home.

“Oh, by the way, I had forgotten,” cried the judge. “Come here, all of you, to my office! The secretary has prepared a pass for each of you. You’ll need it.”

Dumbly they shuffled after him. To each man was handed a sheet of soft, gray paper on which was written a few terse lines—their passports to liberty.

“How many of you are over thirty miles from home?”

Upon finding that all were, the judge issued still another order: “Treasurer, give each of these men enough money to get them home!”

When the fresh little notes were distributed, as in a dream, our friend departed with the rest. As he plodded homeward it gradually dawned upon him what had happened. “JESUS heard me!” he whispered in deep awe. “JESUS has taken me out of jail. JESUS has done everything I asked of Him!” And he became more and more exultant. “Why, it’s wonderful! JESUS is real, living, alive! He hears me! He’s with me!”

At length he reached his home and, bursting in on his amazed family, cried out, “See here, all of you, we are going to give up all these useless, false gods. JESUS has saved me out of jail. He’s real! We are all going to worship Him, do you understand? I was doomed—I prayed to JESUS night and day—and He did everything I asked Him to do. JESUS is God!”

As years went by he developed into a strong, fervent preacher of the Word, being as bold and fearless for God as he had formerly been in serving sin. He was severely tested, but this only increased his devotion to His Saviour, JESUS.

Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron . . . cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. (Psalm 107:10,13.)

The Riverboat Gambler

Stephen Holcombe was a notorious “riverboat gambler” on the Mississippi. One night at the gambling table a man accused him of cheating. Quick as thought, Holcombe whipped his gun from its holster and fired. The bullet went straight to the mark, and in a few minutes Holcombe’s accuser was dead. The murderer was arrested and tried, but was acquitted on the ground that he had shot the man in “self-defense.”

Though acquitted by the court, Stephen Holcombe knew he was condemned before the bar of God and equally so in his own conscience. He tried in every way to find peace of mind, but there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

Two years after that night he was in his room alone, miserable, his face buried in his hands. The memory of the murder haunted him. Throwing himself upon his knees he cried, “O God, can anything blot out the awful memory of what I have done?”

Immediately the words of the old familiar hymn, learned long ago in the days of his childhood, came ringing through his mind:

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Kneeling there, Stephen Holcombe staked his confidence upon that precious blood. That was not a gamble! He trusted in the sacrifice offered on the cross for his sin. He believed that all his sins, the gambling, the murder and all its consequences, had been laid on Christ who was punished in his place. Accepting this he found peace, and from that day he was a faithful follower of the One who died to save him.

The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7.)

This is all my hope and peace;

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my righteousness.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Oh, precious is the flow,

That makes me white as snow!

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

"Sunstruck"

It was a hot summer day. A breathless man rushed into the office of a Christian doctor. Gasping for breath, he cried: “Please, Doctor, come at once. It’s a desperate case.”

Catching up his bag and some emergency equipment, Dr. Harvey hurried out with his messenger who gave him more details on the way. The patient was a young man, David Wells, who had been working on the construction of a nearby bridge. He had suffered a sudden seizure, perhaps a sunstroke, and, as the messenger said, “Seemed to have gone raving crazy!”

Arriving at the office where the patient had been taken, the doctor hurried in. There lay the young man, and, as the doctor instantly noted, his color was good and his breathing was quiet and regular. As the doctor’s fingers touched David’s wrist to examine his pulse, the closed eyes fluttered open and a bright smile spread over his face.

“It’s all right, Doctor,” he said, “I never was better in my life, and I have every reason to shout and sing and rejoice. For the last three weeks, working on that bridge and knowing any moment I might make a false step—my last one—I’ve carried a heavy load. My sins were like a mountain and I knew I was lost. Every bolt I struck and every nut I screwed on seemed to scream at me, ‘You’re going to HELL! You’re going to HELL!’

“Today, while I was working, I suddenly saw that the Son of God on Calvary had borne the punishment for my sins. He died for me. I just couldn’t help shouting and praising Him. The men thought I was sunstruck and brought me here, but, Doctor, it was just the loving touch of the Son of God. He has taken away my heavy load and made me safe for all eternity. Now I can work with a light heart and I am not afraid no matter what may come, for I know I am safe in His care.”

Are you still struggling under the load of your sins? Are you blind to the constant danger of leaving this scene for the pit of despair?

God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9.)

He offers you pardon, peace and eternal salvation if you will only repent of your sins and receive His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. (John 1:11,12.)

A Personal Saviour

The meeting was over. A young man who had listened attentively was introduced to the preacher, who asked if he was a believer in Christ. He replied carelessly, “Of course I am! I have always believed in Him! We have no one else to believe in, have we? He died on the cross for us.”

Without arguing, the preacher said, “May I ask how old you are?”

“I am seventeen.”

“Will you answer another question? If you believe that Jesus died on the cross to save you from the pains of hell, have you ever really, when alone, knelt down and thanked Him for it? Is He your personal Saviour?”

“No,” was his honest reply.

“Then you must be a stranger to Him. He will say to all such, I never knew you: depart from Me. I beg of you, young man, for your soul’s sake, for Jesus’ sake, do not sleep until you have considered your ways and turned to the Lord. Just think, you have reached the age of seventeen and never thanked the Lord Jesus for all He did in order to pardon and save you forever!”

Could you be charged with the same neglect of the Lord Jesus? I beg you, let the love of Jesus move your heart to grateful love and adoration. He did a complete work for man’s redemption on the cross. He now is on God’s throne in glory, waiting for you. He will hear your prayers; He sees your tears; He will rejoice in your faith in Him and in your praise and thanksgiving. Then tell others: “Jesus died for me!”

The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

Tomorrow

And Moses said unto Pharaoh . . . when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?

And he said, Tomorrow. (Exodus 8:9,10.)

Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1.)

Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. (Isaiah 56:12.)

Ye know not what shall be on the morrow! (James 4:14.)

Are We All Bad?

We are all sinners, and so bad that we cannot be worse. To be free from self one must come to an end of self, and have done with self-justification and self-assertion. Are you willing to stand before God as a sinner having no worth of your own? It is only then that you can receive His salvation.

Not the righteous, but sinners, Jesus came to call. They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. We need to learn what that means, and take it to heart individually. Then we can say, “Lord, save me, or I will perish.” God does not save those who are good in their own eyes but those who recognize that they are totally bad in God’s eyes.

His Word is, Justified freely by His grace (Romans 3:24)—justified by His blood. There is not one word in Scripture in favor of self-justification.

It is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10.)

The Son of man is come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:11.)

A Word for the Weary

My spirit is sad and perplexed.

I know not the best thing to do;

With doubtings and fears I am vexed,

And Satan harasses me, too.

I’ve tried (how I’ve tried!) to believe,

Till the word on my mind is engraved;

Can no one my sorrow relieve?

Oh, “What must I do to be saved?”

Lord Jesus, I’m full of alarms,

Indeed, I’ve no hope left but Thee;

I cast myself into Thy arms,

O Saviour! Take pity on me!

I come as a poor little child;

With many a tremor and doubt;

Thy voice speaks a calm through the wild—

Says, “I will in no wise cast out.”

No feelings need come to my aid.

This dull heart’s emotions are few;

I’ll trust Thee, Lord, nor be afraid

I’m safe as the Bible is true.

Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. Isaiah 55:6

"I Can't Believe!"

Frank was a young man who claimed to be “seeking salvation,” but said he could not understand how to come to Christ. He supposed he had not enough faith. Theoretically, he accepted the Bible as the Word of God, and agreed that it taught being justified by faith, but he just could not believe for himself.

One day he asked George and Harry, two friends of his, to go out with him in his boat. It was a clear, sunny morning when they started, but as they were returning, a dense Newfoundland fog came on. Night was setting in. The fog had blotted out sea and sky, and they were soon hopelessly lost.

Both George and Harry were Christians, and suddenly George exclaimed, “Our text this morning was, In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

“Let us plead the promise,” said Harry, “and we shall know what to do.”

They knelt down on the deck while one of them prayed.

In a minute or two Harry, who had gone to the bow, cried out, “Look, the fog is clearing!” and as he spoke, it divided before the little vessel and made an open path across the water. “The Lighthouse! The Lighthouse!” was the next cry, as all saw the bright dot, ten miles away, flash out.

Only a moment they had, to check the compass and take their bearings, and then the drifting walls of vapor closed in again and all was dark as before. Nevertheless, the sailors had seen the light and received their guidance. Independent now of their surroundings, they steered straight in to their destination.

Frank was much impressed by this answer to prayer, and while his mind was full of it, he repeated the story to another Christian friend. However, this friend listened to him skeptically, and at the end observed dryly, “A very remarkable story. Now, if most people had told me that, I would not have believed it. As it is, all I can say is it is a very remarkable story.”

“But I tell you that it’s true, every word of it. Maybe you didn’t understand that I was there myself?”

“But you see, I was not.”

“I don’t understand you,” and Frank got angry. “I tell you I saw it all with my own eyes.”

“But I didn’t.”

“What do you mean? Are you telling me to my face that you don’t believe me?”

“Oh, you thought you saw all this, of course, but probably you dreamed it—or you have not told it quite as it happened—or it may even be something peculiar in my mind which makes it impossible for me to take in what you say. I simply can’t believe!”

Then the Christian, seeing that Frank was getting upset, put his hand on his arm and said quietly, “Now, Frank, you are angry with me for doubting your word—me, a mere man—while you continue to doubt the Word of God. You feel that I insult you when I won’t accept what you tell me is true, but you calmly announce that you do not believe the God of truth.”

In that moment Frank saw clearly and with dismay what he had been saying to God. He expected people to believe him, yet he had said to God, “I can’t believe!” Then and there he saw his unbelief to be really sin, and he did believe the love of Christ and received Him as his Saviour. Praising God for his deliverance, he began to enjoy his salvation.

Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that
exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity
every thought to the
obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

"I Chose Life"

Donald Wyman had been clearing land and felling trees when a tree fell in such a way that he was pinned underneath it. His leg broken—a compound fracture—he cried for help. Again and again he called. No one came, no one heard. After an hour he gave up hope of rescue by others and began to do what few of us would do: he pulled out his pocket knife and cut off his leg above the fracture. Then he crawled to a bulldozer, pulled himself up into it, and drove to his truck. Managing to transfer to the truck, he drove to a farm house. The farmer drove him to a hospital.

“It was a terrible ordeal . . . being trapped in the woods,” he said afterward. “I had a life-or-death situation, and that was my only choice—life or death. I have so much to live for that I did the only thing I could—I chose life.”

And that is the same option that every one of us has. God said, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life. (Deuteronomy 30:19.)

It is not a “terrible ordeal”; we do not have to suffer great pain, alone and unheard in the dark woods of this world. The Lord Jesus Christ has suffered the pain for us, alone on the cross of Calvary.

Like Don Wyman, we all have “so much to live for.” There is God who created us, who promises to be a Father to us, the One who satisfies the longing soul. There is the Lord Jesus who loves us with an everlasting love and who went to Calvary for us. There is the Holy Spirit who comes as the Comforter to everyone who receives Christ as Saviour.

All of that is in the here-and-now. So much to live for indeed! And afterwards—the Father’s house—home—heaven. Why will you die?

Therefore—choose life!

Jesus said:

I am the resurrection and the life:
he that believeth in Me,
though he were dead,
yet shall he live.

John 11:25

The Dream That Came True

It was only to be a short trip, but my seatmate was in a friendly mood. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, he offered me one. I thanked him, but mentioned that I was not a smoker. Looking disappointed, he then produced a bottle of whiskey and invited me to have a drink. Again I refused, assuring him that my reason was that I did not drink.

“All right,” he said, “I see you are a man of principle, and I respect you.”

“No,” I replied, “I am a Christian—and I wish you knew my Saviour! He is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He died for you and me. He would make you a happy man; I wish you knew Him.”

He dropped back in his seat as if someone had hit him and was silent for a minute or two. Then he took a card from his pocket and showed me a man’s name and address written on it. He said, “Do you see that? That’s the name of the very best friend that ever a man had. I went to say good-by to him on Monday and he said to me, ‘I’ve prayed for your conversion every day for five years, and my prayers have not been answered yet, but I’ve had a dream about you. You’re going back home, and I dreamt that you’ll meet a perfect stranger who will speak to you, and my prayers will be answered.’”

“It looks to me,” said he, “that his dream is going to come true.”

“It certainly does,” I said, “and you could have no better time than this!”

We had a serious talk about how we all, like sheep, had gone astray from God and turned everyone to his own way, and consequently all deserved the judgment of the just and almighty God. He felt that what I said to him was true. He had often heard the gospel, and he knew that his life of God-forgetfulness had been entirely sinful.

When he said this I repeated for him the words, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. When we were yet without strength . . . Christ died for the ungodly, and God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

These were good words for him to hear, for they were words from God’s infallible Book, words from God that he needed—words that you need, whoever you are who read them here—all need the glorious gospel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have heard several times from that man since then. He tells me of his thankfulness for our talk, and of the change that the knowledge of Christ has made in his life.

You may wonder why I am telling you this, since the man involved has no claim on your interest. The reason is that there is someone probably praying for you, someone who has prayed for years, and the Saviour who saved him has also a very great claim on you. He has the claim that creation gives, for He made you. He has the claim that His sovereign rights give, for He is Lord of all. He has the claim that love gives, for He laid down His life to save you because He loved you.

Will you not own His claims and confess Him as your Lord and Saviour? If you do you will have Him as your Friend—the Friend who never fails.

If you refuse His claims, you must have Him as your Judge, and from this there will be no escape.

How shall we escape, if we neglect
so great salvation?

Hebrews 2:3

A Cleansed Conscience

Human beings have consciences. They know good and evil. Some are so troubled that they try by various ways to have a quiet conscience. They think they need consolation, but what they really need is salvation. They try this and that to secure a quiet conscience, but every now and then conscience terribly accuses them. Numberless sins and failures crowd upon the memory, death stares them in the face, the fear of death and of judgment frightens them and they dread to appear before God.

Religiousness, reformation and good deeds of any kind fail to set such people right before God, and they learn from the Bible that the divine verdict is, There is none righteous, none that doeth good, no, not one, but that all have sinned and are guilty before God. The more they ponder God’s truth, and the more they try to avoid what is wrong, the more guilty they feel. They find themselves increasingly unfit for God, and they become more and more distressed.

The burdens of sin become intolerable, and the constant accusing of conscience makes them cry out for forgiveness of sin. They then learn it is not a quieted conscience, but a cleansed conscience that they need—the certainty that all their sins have been righteously judged and blotted out forever.

They learn there is only one thing which can give a cleansed conscience: it is the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and it cleanses from all sin. This they believe, because God says so, and their conscience is cleansed. What a relief! Everyone, on believing, can say,

I hear the words of love,

I gaze upon the blood

I see the mighty sacrifice,

And I have peace with God.

We are told, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14.)

The blood of Christ satisfies the conscience because it has satisfied God about sin. It is only when the heart is cleansed from an evil conscience that we can approach God by Him who is gone into heaven by virtue of His own blood. Such have no more conscience of sins, and know it is God that justifies. They are assured that by one offering they are perfected forever, and their sins and iniquities God will remember no more.

Now brought to God, reconciled to God by the death of His Son, they enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, and they praise and give thanks. They know, through God’s grace, that their sins are cleansed, their conscience cleansed, and that they are cleansed worshippers. This separates them from dead and unscriptural religiousness to serve and obey the living and true God, according to His Word, and to wait for His Son from heaven.

Something to Hold Onto

The man in the hospital bed turned his head toward the door as I entered. Seeing a stranger there, he let out a volley of curses and oaths. I backed out hastily.

Later in the day I tried again to visit him, and found him apologetic. He had not known who I was, he said, or he would not have used such language. I reminded him that it was not I to whom he owed the apology. Rather, he should apologize to God his Maker, whom he had so offended and whom he would soon have to meet. This sobered him a bit, and when I asked him if he had any hope for the future, he answered simply and honestly: “I have none at all!”

Did heaven hear when he made that confession? Only when a sinner realizes he is lost can he appreciate and receive God’s plan of salvation as it is explained in the Bible.

It was not easy to talk with him long, nor could he concentrate sufficiently to read a copy of the Gospel of John which I gave him. On my next visit, then, I decided to quote or read a few verses from God’s Word, hoping that God would bless the words. Before leaving him that evening I repeated slowly and carefully the well-known words of John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

On the third day I visited him early, and he greeted me with a smile. “Well, Mr. Smith, do you understand the love of God more clearly today?” I asked.

With an effort, but very deliberately, the sick man answered: “Yes, decidedly so!” And then he added, “It was those words you gave me: ‘SHOULD-NOT-PERISH.’ Now I have something to hold onto.”

From that moment his faith in the Saviour never faltered. God’s Word had said that whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus should not perish, but have everlasting life. He believed that Jesus died for him. Now God’s Word assured him that he was saved. He certainly had “something to hold onto,” and when he entered the presence of the Lord a few days later, he knew that the cable of his faith was firmly attached to an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast (Hebrews 6:19). v

I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand.

John 10:28

Such an Offer!

“Such an offer!” Full and free!

Was it really meant for me?

That all my sins on Christ were laid,

That all my debt by Him was paid?

Yes; He said it, who has died—

“Believe,” and you are justified.

“Such an offer!” Pardon now

For hidden sin, and broken vow?

Yes; Jesus died for you and me;

His death for ours must be our plea.

Oh, what goodness! Lord, I take

This offer Thou dost freely make!

My one desire now shall be

To live for Him who died for me!

Jesus saith . . . I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6

Echoes of Grace: 1993

Table of Contents

"Find and Beseech"

Prospects

"Ten Dollars, Man!"

Nicodemus

Straight to Port

Ungodly

He Knows the Way

Why Not Know?

Where the Fire Has Been

Adrift on the Pacific Ocean

The Door Will Be Shut

Peace at Last

The Fate of the World

"Everlasting Life"

Welcome News

A Refuge

Hurricane!

Which Side of the Line Are You on?

"No Salvation for You"

"What Must I to Be Saved?"

His Love Divine

The Confession of Alva Reis

The Mirage

Complete Insurance

Testimony Concerning Jesus

Conversion

Trying to Believe

The Cleft of the Rock

Get Right With God!

A Cowboy's Story

A Deadly Mistake

Where Is Your Soul?

No Tomorrow

Whiskey John

Pass It on

What If Tomorrow. . . ?

The Big One

"Where Is Judgment?"

High-Level Jack

Entreaty

The Forecast

Promises

The Good Samaritan

Not Your Own

Guaranteed to Remove All Stains

For Me

Going West - or East?

Kidnapped!

"I Don't Feel Right"

Christ Is the Way

The Best Things Are Free

Just to Please Jesus

Praying Jack

The Foolish Rich Man

The Monkeys and the Bridge

The Power of the Gospel

Car vs. Train

"So Plain-So Precious!"

Whosoever

The Father's Kiss

The Boxer

"What Must I Do to Be Saved?"

The Contrast

The Light of the Glory

God Says . . .

The Cross Was His Own

Complete Deliverances

The Riverboat Gambler

"Sunstruck"

A Personal Saviour

Tomorrow

Are We All Bad?

A Word for the Weary

"I Can't Believe!"

"I Chose Life"

The Dream That Came True

A Cleansed Conscience

Something to Hold Onto