Jessie Reynolds was a gay and thoughtless girl the first time I met her. Friends had often spoken to her about Jesus, but she only laughed at them and told them that she didn’t want to be religious; she wanted to have a good time.
Perhaps the reader of this paper has said the same thing to any who sought to bring you to the feet of Jesus. You may have seen some who profess to be very religious, with solemn and unhappy faces. But, my young friend, you must not take your ideas of being saved from such people, for very often it turns out that they are not true Christians at all, but merely religious people who expect to get to heaven because they are so solemn. Jesus never made anybody sad and gloomy. He has made thousands of hearts to bound with perfect joy, and filled their tongues with singing. None are as truly happy as the people whose sins are washed away in the blood of Jesus.
But I must tell you about Jessie. Her friend Pauline finally coaxed her to go to a gospel meeting. It was so different from what she had expected. The folks seemed to be happy, and there were many girls there of her own age who came to her and spoke to her, with much joy, of what Jesus had done for them. The next night, Jessie didn’t need to be coaxed. She knew that these people had a happiness which she longed for, and she began to feel burdened about her sins. When the meeting was over she went slowly home with the tears running down her cheeks, and with a great longing in her heart to know Jesus as her Saviour.
The third night she again entered the gospel hall, and went up to the first person she met, saying with happy smile, “Jesus is mine.” Yes, Jessie had come to Jesus, and He had accepted her and her heart was joyful.
ML 12/10/1950