JOHN BUNYAN made his living going about mending pots and pans. At the time he was not a Christian, in fact he had been a wild reckless youth and swore dreadfully. One day he was standing in front of a shop window and swearing as usual. The woman who kept the store, though she herself was not the best character in the village by any means, came out and rebuked him sharply, saying his example was enough to spoil all the youth in the place. Poor John was so ashamed of his conduct and went away silent and downcast.
John tried hard to give up swearing. After a few weeks he found he could speak better, without putting a swear word before every sentence and another after it. He also began to read the Bible and at times he would have a very good opinion of himself.
He tried keeping the Ten Commandments, thinking he might get to heaven this way. Now and then he thought he had kept them pretty well and felt encouraged, almost happy in fact; but then when he had broken one he would repent and say he was sorry, and begin again. His efforts at law keeping proved wearisome and hopeless.
But one day as he sat in a doorway mending some pots, he overheard the conversation of two godly women nearby. To his surprise they seemed to be quite sure that through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ they had received the forgiveness of sins. They spoke of the love of God and of the preciousness of Christ, and of the delight they found in reading the Word of God and prayer. They spoke with such joy and there was such grace in all they said that to John they were as persons who had found a new world.
Later on John went back and talked with these dear souls and they became his first friends. They did what they could to help him find what he longed for — peace with God. The time came when John did find joy and peace in believing in the Lord Jesus and His finished work on the cross. He found salvation to be a free gift from God and he rejoiced in the knowledge that God for Christ’s sake had pardoned all his sins. He wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress, a book that has been a mighty power for good for over 300 years and is still read by many people around the world.
ML-06/13/1976