A FEW YEARS ago a wealthy society girl attended a gospel meeting and hearing, perhaps for the first time, about the Lord Jesus, took Him as her Saviour. When she went home from the meeting, she immediately told her parents of her new-found joy in the knowledge that her sins were forgiven.
But instead of rejoicing with her, those parents ridiculed their daughter, jeered at her and made fun of what she had done. When they saw that none of this affected her belief in Jesus they decided to try another means of attack. The wealthy father went out and bought her a new automobile, one that was especially attractive to a young person. As he handed her the keys, he said, “Young lady, this car is yours provided you won’t carry this Bible with you, or talk about Jesus, or go to places where they preach about Jesus.”
With the keys in her hand, she heard her father’s conditions. Then without hesitation she handed them back to her father, saying, “Thank you for the car, Dad, but I’d rather have Jesus.”
How wise that girl was. An automobile would give her pleasure for a little while but God’s salvation is for all eternity. And how unspeakably awful it would be to turn one’s back on God’s offer of mercy in favor of any of earth’s pleasures.
ML-09/09/1973