Jim was the "black sheep" of his regiment. In and out of the guardhouse he always managed to be the ringleader in everything that was against the regulations.
One day the chaplain came to him with a serious and sympathetic expression. "James," he said, "your mother has sent you her last present."
"Ah!" he replied heartlessly, "is she gone at last? I hope she sent me some cash!"
"No, but she has sent you something of more value than silver or gold." Giving his mother's Bible to him, the chaplain said, "James, it was her dying request that you would read one verse at least every day. Can you refuse your mother's dying wish?"
"Well," said Jim, "it doesn't seem like too much to ask, so here goes."
He opened the Bible and read Matt. 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28): "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
"Well," he said, "that's odd! I have opened to the only verse in the Bible that I could ever learn by heart when I was in the Sunday school. I never could for the life of me learn another. But what does it mean?"
Gladly the Christian explained it to him, and told him of the Savior who gave His life to save poor lost sinners and who could now promise rest to all who would come to Him. Only one verse, but Jim came to believe it, accepted it, and found that rest for his soul.
He trusted in the Lord Jesus as his Savior and could rejoice in the knowledge that his sins were forgiven through the work of the Savior on the cross. He had passed from death to life, and the old restlessness that had kept him always in trouble was gone. He never entered the guardhouse again!