One Sunday afternoon, two young men were in the country, distributing gospel tracts. As they passed by a meadow they noticed a man crouched by a hedge, with several bird cages at his side, evidently busy catching live birds.
One young man asked him if he would have a tract.
“Can’t read it,” answered the bird catcher shortly, but the truth was that he did not want to read it, or anything else that spoke of God.
“That’s a pity,” answered the young man. “Seeing you are not very busy, perhaps you would allow me to read it to you, and, seating himself by old Terry’s side, he began the story. It told of the conversion of a man who was not unlike Terry himself—a great sinner.
“Is that true?” asked the old man.
“Perfectly true,” was the answer, “and what’s more, God can do that for you.”
Terry looked in wonder. How memories began to stir in his neglectful heart! “My mother told me that,” he said, as he brushed his eyes with his sleeve.
Terry sat a long time with his empty cages; and the people wondered when they saw him at the gospel meeting that evening.
They wondered still more to hear him boldly confess that he was saved by the grace of God. His great regret was that he had served the devil the best of his days, and his earnest advice to you would be— “Come to Christ today.” If you are young—come now, and if you are old, it is not yet too late.
ML 04/11/1954