Mr. Hunter had just moved to the great city of London. He had found a room in a very comfortable boarding house, and was quite content with all the arrangements.
He had spent a good many months in boarding houses in other cities, but there was something just a little different about this one. There were Scripture texts on the walls of every room, including his own bedroom. And, also, thanks was offered to the Lord before every meal.
Mr. Hunter loved children, and before very long he was a very good friend of little Jackie who lived at the boardinghouse. One evening as Mr. Hunter was sitting in the parlor reading, little Jackie came bounding into the room.
“Tell me a story, Mr. Hunter, please?”
“Certainly, my boy, come and sit beside me, and we shall have a story.”
Mr. Hunter was very fond of telling stories, and he began to tell an interesting story about a sailor and his pet monkey. Jackie listened to the story with great interest, and when it was over, he said, “Thank you so much for that story, Mr. Hunter, it was a good one. Now, will you please tell me a story about Jesus?”
There was quite a long pause, and then Mr. Hunter said,
“I know another good story. Shall I tell you?”
“Is this story about Jesus?” said Jackie.
Again there was a long silence, and Mr. Hunter said, “No, I’m afraid I don’t know any stories about Jesus.” “And you so big! And don’t know anything about Jesus! But, Mr. Hunter, the Lord Jesus came all the way down from heaven to die on the cross for me, and I love to hear stories about Him.”
This ended the conversation, and Mr. Hunter went slowly and thoughtfully up to his room. He knew that Jackie was not the only one in that home who loved the Lord Jesus. In fact he began to feel that perhaps he was the only one in the home who did not belong to Jesus. His memory took him back to the days when, as a boy, he had read the Word of God, and had knelt in prayer each night before he went to bed. He knew that he had not prayed for a long time.
He looked at the text which was hanging on the wall of his room, and read these beautiful words: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” He had often read those words before, but they had meant very little to him. But tonight they seemed specially for him. In a moment he knelt down by his bed, and there he thanked God for sending the Lord Jesus to die for him, and before rising from his knees, he had accepted the Lord Jesus as his own Saviour. From that day on the Bible became a new and precious book to him. And, as you may imagine, he and Jackie had many happy times together, reading the precious stories of the Lord Jesus in the Word of God.
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
Jackie was just a little boy, and Mr. Hunter was a grown man, but both alike were sinners, and both have trusted the Lord Jesus.
Will you do the same?
ML 11/11/1956