JANIE was one day sitting on the beach at Eastbourne with some friends, when a lady assed by and offered her a little paper booklet. Janie accepted it, looked at it, and when she saw that it had "something to do with religion," she hardly knew what, she tore it up in the smallest pieces and scattered them to the wind. Her friends laughed, and she thought it was the end of the matter. But was it?
God had seen all that had taken place. He had, doubtless, heard the prayers of the lady who had given the tract, and He had blessing in store for Janie.
Some years later Janie's mother had a serious talk with her, pointing out that her life was too much given up to pleasure, and that duty must not be neglected.
Her mother, sad to say, had no love for the Lord Jesus Christ, but she believed in giving up a certain amount of time to religion and the duties of life. She did not believe in true religion, which, as the Apostle James tells us, is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:2727Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27).) Her mother only asked that Janie should belong to the church and be religious on Sundays; she might be spotted by the world all the week if she chose.
Janie had planned a lively winter; balls and concerts and choral practices in the evenings, and riding and hunting in the daytime, and she was very much annoyed to be obliged to be more serious.
There was nothing for it, however, but to go regularly to the vicarage for classes, and to give her mind to the matter in hand. The vicar suggested that she should read for an hour each day, either a religious book or the Bible.
“I will read the Bible, as I have never done so, and I suppose I ought to know something about it," Janie replied.
The vicar agreed, so Janie borrowed the precious book and commenced reading the New Testament.
“Is this really true?" she asked herself, as the wonder of what she read crept slowly, but deeply into her innermost soul.
“Did Jesus really come? Was He truly the Son of God? Did He really die on the cross that I and millions more need not suffer eternal damnation?”
Day by day she read on, absorbed in the marvelous theme of the four Gospels. Strange feelings came over her as she read of Jesus going about doing good, cleansing the lepers, giving sight to the blind, healing all the sick He came in touch with, raising the dead, and in all things pleasing His God and Father. He could say, I do always those things which please him [God].”
What a contrast, Janie thought, to herself and those around her. God opened her eyes, and poured His light from heaven into her heart, and on to His word, and she saw herself a sinner needing a Savior. She saw in Jesus the One who could and would save her from her sins.
Humbly and yet thankfully she did as a sinful people were advised to do by the Prophet Hosea, "Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips." (Hos. 14:22Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. (Hosea 14:2).)
You will notice what we are to take to the Lord; not good works or pious feelings or sacrifices; simply, like the publican we are told about in Luke 18, take words—words from the heart; honest, upright words. The publican smote his breast, and said, "God be merciful to me, a sinner.”
This is what Janie did. In the secret of her own room, she asked for forgiveness, and she was forgiven and received graciously by the Lord Jesus Christ, and she was able to render to Him thanks and adoration for the rest of her days.
A new life began for her, a difficult life at first, for she was thought to be out of her mind. But really she was now in her right mind, and had become wise, as she did the best thing she had ever done, in bowing the knee to Jesus.
Have you ever done this? Have you ever taken with you words and turned to the Lord, and asked Him to forgive you and receive you? Why not do it today?