It was young James Taylor’s wedding day, a wintry morning long ago in the north of England. The young man was up before sunrise, making ready for his bride. There was water to carry from the well, and wood to prepare for the fire, as well as wheat to thresh and take to the mill for Betty’s first baking.
He was full of thoughts of his bright little Betty, and all the fun and feasting of his wedding day, for he was specially fond of singing and dancing. Right then as he made his way to the barn through the frosty air, he could hear Mrs. Shaw in the house next door, singing as she went about her morning tasks, but James did not care for that kind of singing. The people in that house “trusted in the Lord.”
What was it that brought to his mind, just then, the words he had heard last year at Midsummer Fair in the town? It was not part of the Fair, but the earnest words of a preacher there which were persistently repeating themselves in his mind, as he worked away in the barn. “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15.
It was his wedding day, and no time for solemn thoughts, but the words somehow fitted that day perfectly. “Me and my house” — yes, a new household was beginning that day, but why should he serve the Lord, and be thought narrow and queer, as his neighbors were? But the words would not leave him. “We will serve the LORD.”
The sun rose high over the village where his bride was waiting, but James was on his knees in the straw. “As for me,” had taken on a new meaning to him. He felt himself personally responsible to God. God has decreed that every knee shall bow to the Lord Jesus. James Taylor bowed before Him that day, and yielded himself, heart and soul, to the One who died for him.
“Yes, we will serve the Lord,” he said. But it was now nearly noon, and he had two miles to go to his wedding! He ran all the way, and found the bridal party still waiting. The church clock had stopped, so he was not yet too late! As soon as the wedding was over, he amazed everyone by refusing to allow dancing at the feast, and confessing, with his new wife on his arm, his earnest desire to serve the Lord.
Betty was disgusted. If he wished to have family reading and prayer, he must do it alone, for she was too busy. She grumbled and scolded, and James bore her words patiently for many days. At length, as her grumbling became louder than usual, she suddenly found herself lifted in James’ strong arms and carried upstairs. There he knelt down beside her and poured out all his longing to God in prayer. She never before knew how much he cared. All that day and the next the thought of her sin troubled her, and her distress grew unbearable. When he brought out the Bible in the evening she was ready to listen, and that night, while James was still on his knees, she yielded to the Saviour and was saved.
Have you yielded, dear reader? You are a sinner, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the Saviour. Have you just knelt before Him, owning you are a sinner, and claiming Him as your Saviour?
“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15.
“Come to Jesus, come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.”
ML 02/21/1954