A young man came to a good old professor of a college, a Christian, and asked him how long before death he thought a man ought to get ready for it. The professor's reply was, "A few minutes."
The youth, glad of this reply, determined to have his fling, sow his wild oats, see life in all its aspects— in fact, have a "high old time." Then, he decided, a few moments before death should close his selfish career, he would ask God to have mercy upon him!
"But," asked the professor, "when are you going to die?"
The youth replied, "I cannot tell."
"Then," said the dear old man, "GET READY NOW, for you may have only a few moments to live."
Many persons would like to be saved, but they say they are waiting God's time. Surely God knows the best and proper time for a man to be saved, and He says it is NOW. Nowhere in His Word does God promise that a man shall be saved next week, next month, or next year, or when he comes to his deathbed, or at the eleventh hour, as some people foolishly and unscripturally say.
God pledges His word to save a man when he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ; not when he says he believes, but when he does believe. His word is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31.
"The time is short"; eternity is near; the dark clouds of judgment are gathering and are about to burst upon a Christless, guilty world, in all their crushing and grinding power. But ere this takes place, the word of God rings clearly out: "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
There is a verse in Isaiah 1:18 which is unequaled in Scripture for tender graciousness. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
God's word is "COME," but He says when you are to come. It is NOW. And He says how you are to come: it is "JUST AS YOU ARE." And then He concludes the magnificent verse with the promise of cleansing you from all your sins, and making you like His Son.
A simple miner who attended a gospel meeting heard the time element of NOW stressed. At the close of the meeting he remained for some personal conversation with the preacher. The miner, though desiring to be saved, was anxious to put it off to a future time; but God's word was quoted to him again: "Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation."
The miner bowed to God's word and time, and accepted salvation as God's gift to faith. He went home a saved man, and praising Him for it.
Early in the morning he went to his work in the mine, but he had not been long at his work when a large portion of the roof fell in and buried him. Loving hearts and willing hands soon removed the rubbish. When they had brought him to the mine's mouth, his lips were seen moving. An ear was bent to catch the dying man's last words, which were, "THANK GOD, I WAS SAVED LAST NIGHT." He had accepted the "present salvation" of God, and in less than twelve hours he was "absent from the body, and present with the Lord."
Dear reader,
"Take salvation,
Take it now, and happy be."
Satan will tempt you to put off the salvation of your soul until tomorrow; but tomorrow is too late. Tomorrow is death, the grave, the lake of fire, the eternal wail of an eternally lost soul. God would not say "now" so frequently in His word if He did not mean it! There is awful danger in delaying. Tomorrow will not do. It may be now or never with you. God grant that it may be now.
"Salvation now, this moment;
Then why, oh, why delay?
You may not see tomorrow,
Now is salvation's day."