A strange lonely man was Kenny McFarlane, the boatman. He lived in a very small cottage near the shore of the rolling sea, and none of the villagers had ever been inside the door. He was not gruff or cross, in fact all the boys of the village liked him, and sat down by his boathouse while he told them tales of the sea.
All the people of the village were very “religious” and went diligently to their worship and services on Sunday. All but Kenny, the boatman. He never seemed to go outside the door of his cottage on that day, and so all his neighbors considered him an infidel. But the fact was, they knew nothing about what Kenny believed, for none of them ever spoke to him of the love of God, or asked him about his own soul.
On a summer Saturday afternoon, two young men on holiday from a southern town, hired Kenny’s boat for a row. When they returned and paid his hire, they asked if he would let them use his boathouse for a Gospel meeting, the following Sunday evening. Kenny was much surprised, but the young men went on to explain. “We are not preachers, but just clerks on our holidays. But Jesus has saved our souls, and we would like to tell the old Gospel message to any of the villagers who would like to come.”
Kenny was in a fix. He would have made some excuse if he could, but before he knew it, he had agreed.
“Thank you very much,” said “Charles, the older of the two, “and we hope we will see you there, too.” Kenny made no reply.
Sunday afternoon, the two earnest young men could be seen going from house to house, inviting people to the gospel meeting at Kenny’s Boathouse. God honored their earnest faith, and almost all of the villagers were to be found that evening, seated on the shore, while the two young men stood on the platform of Kenny’s boathouse to tell out the message. Yes, Kenny was there, too!
Charles spoke first, and told tenderly and earnestly of the love of God from John 3:1616For 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). These villagers were devoutly religious, and diligent in their attendance at church services, but it was a new thing to them to hear that God loved poor, ungodly, unworthy sinners, and that the blood of Jesus was able to cleanse their hearts.
Gerald followed with a message from Isaiah 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6). Again the villagers were surprised to learn that they were lost and away from God. Kenny listened eagerly, but spoke to nobody, and nobody spoke to him, except Charles and Gerald. The following Saturday, another service was held, and again the villagers came and listened, and a number of them came forward and confessed their need of a Saviour, and accepted Jesus. Among them was Kenny McFarlane. He stood up before them all and said, “That is what I have been waiting for, for years. I knew there was something I needed, but what it was, or how to get it, I could not tell. Now I know that I needed a Saviour, Jesus Christ the Lord.
Dear reader, you need just what Kenny needed. You need Christ. The Bible says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” I Tim. 1:15. Have you let Him save you? He is able and willing to do it today.
ML 09/30/1951