Mrs. Carter was nearly 100 years old. She had a little friend, named Joanne, who visited her every few days and did small jobs for her around the house.
Joanne was a Christian, and she loved to tell old Mrs. Carter about the Lord Jesus who came into this world to save sinners. The old lady would listen very carefully and then proceed to tell Joanne all the good things she had done. She hoped that her good deeds would one day get her into heaven. Joanne was grieved that her old friend persisted in this reasoning for she knew the Scripture says: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8, 98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9). “There is nothing we can do to merit salvation,” Joanne told her, but Jesus has already done it all on the cross.
Joanne prayed for her old friend, asking the Lord to save her even in her last hours.
One day after Joanne finished washing the dishes, she sat down on the sofa with old Mrs. Carter to read her stories from the Sunday school paper. What was her surprise and joy to hear the old lady say, “Do you know that I was saved just last week? I came to the Lord Jesus just as I was, and He saved me.”
A few weeks later this dear old lady passed peacefully away to be with the Lord Jesus. Her last words were, “I’m going Home now!”
ML-10/03/1976