It was a hot summer day and Jack was riding the hay rake. A verse of Scripture was going through his mind, “Christ also path once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” 1 Pet. 3:18.
An evangelist had gone over that verse with Jack very carefully the night before as he tried to show him God’s way of salvation. But somehow they were just words to Jack.
Jack had wanted to be saved for a long time, for he knew he was a sinner and afraid to meet God. At night after chores were done he would sit at the kitchen table and read his Bible. Then when every one else was gone to bed, he would kneel and pray, “O God, save me, save me.”
At times when working in the corn field he would kneel between the rows and with tears plead with God to save him.
However, all his praying and reading the Bible brought no peace to his poor troubled heart. If the Lord Jesus were to come, he thought, He would take his folks who were saved home to heaven, and he would be left behind.
Poor Jack! So burdened was he that he began to think the Lord must not care for him or He would surely have heard his cries and taken his sins away.
Then all of a sudden the words of that verse he had memorized seemed to speak to him with life-giving power. “Christ HATH also once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust” — “For ME,” cried Jack to himself joyfully "I’m the unjust one, and He has already done it!” As he thought on the rest of the verse, his face began to glow with an inner joy — “that He might bring us — bring ME! — to God!”
“I’m saved... I’m saved!” he exclaimed, his heart unable to contain its happiness. “The Lord Jesus has suffered for my sins. There’s nothing to worry about... it’s all done!”
The sun shone down just as hot as before, but now Jack only thought of the warm smile of God. Even the hard bumpy seat on the rake seemed a holy place, for there it was God had met him and had spoken peace to his soul through His precious Word.
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.” Jer. 15:16.
ML-03/06/1977