As I came out of a gospel meeting not long ago, a messenger met me. He urgently requested that I go at once to see a young man who was nearing life's end.
I went at once. On entering the room I sat down by his bed. Seeing that the time was short, I came at once to the all-important subject. I said: "Friend, I see that you are very ill. Are you prepared for what is before you?"
"I only wish I were," he replied, giving me a look of despair. "If I could just be spared for two or three weeks I believe I might then be ready. But the doctor tells me I cannot live for more than a few hours probably." So saying he caught hold of my hand, and held it as a drowning man would hold on to a plank.
"Three weeks," I said. "Why do you want three weeks?"
With faltering voice the lad went on to give me his idea of preparation and conversion. "You see," he said, "there must first be conviction; then, time for a careful review of my life, and its sins. And then, there must be repentance, and godly sorrow, long and deep, to be acceptable to God. And then faith, and the new birth, when the heart by this process has been made ready. All of this must occupy some weeks."
Having given me this detailed account of "The Plan of Salvation," he sank back exhausted. He looked at me imploringly as if to say, "You see, you can do nothing for me; it's too late!"
"What!" I exclaimed. "Three weeks in order to be saved? Let me tell you that you may be saved, yes, in three minutes."
So saying I opened the Word of God, and read: "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."
"If I give you this gold watch," I continued, "how long would it take you to receive it? Could you not take it at once?"
As he assented, I said: "The gift of God is eternal life." What do you do when presented with a gift?
Do you buy it or beg it, or wait a long time to be prepared to accept it? God offers His Son to you, and eternal life. He says, "He that hath the Son hath life." In order to have a gift you must take it; and in order to have the Son of God, you must just take Him."
With an earnest look he replied, "But how can I take Him? Do tell me exactly the way to do it, "he pleaded.
Turning to Romans 10, I said, "Here you have the way told you exactly: `If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.'
"Now," I said, "if you want to be saved just accept Jesus as your Savior, and tell Him that you do."
Immediately I knelt by his side, and asked him to follow me in a simple prayer of acceptance. "Lord Jesus, I come to Thee. I am a sinner, Thou art the Savior. I take Thee now to be my Savior. I trust Thee, I receive Thee, and I put my soul in Thy hands."
That was all. Then I had to leave, but felt confident that saving faith had been exercised.
Some hours later in the evening I called again, and was shown into the same room where the conversation had taken place. There lay the young man in the sleep of death with the calm of heaven on his face.
"Oh," said the lady of the house, "if you could have heard him talk to us just after you went away! He called us in, and said: 'Isn't it wonderful? That man showed me how I could be saved, yes, in three minutes, when I had been thinking I must have weeks to prepare to die.' Then he added, 'Oh, come and kneel down here; I want to thank and praise God, that He has saved me." '
The lady added, "Such a happy death I have never witnessed."