NOT long ago a man was walking down the street of a big city. He was hungry and tired and as he passed a restaurant, he smelled the savory odors coming through the open door and saw in the window what he thought to be a pie. The temptation was great; he could satisfy his hunger, and if he were caught, what would a short term of imprisonment mean? He would at least be fed. So he broke the glass and seized the pie.
To his unutterable disgust he found that he had stolen an imitation china dish filled with sawdust!
What a lesson lies hidden in this incident! Are there not many who, weary and hungry, eagerly seize upon one thing and another in order to appease the cravings of their souls, only to find them as unsatisfying as the sawdust pie?
Have you ever had such an experience? Have you tried to stifle the cries of your soul by trying what the world has to offer? Have you turned to some form of religion, vainly hoping to find in that direction something that would relieve your unrest of heart? Whatever it may be, you have been disappointed. This we may affirm with certainty. You have laid hands on the object of your pursuit and lo! it is nothing but a sawdust pie!
We can tell you of something that can really satisfy the deep longings of your soul. Rather, we can tell you of Someone. JESUS is His name. His love, strong and tender, is better than all that earth can offer you. To have Him as your Saviour and Friend is to have joy and peace without end.
It is not hard to see the reason why the sawdust pie was eagerly seized. The man sincerely believed it to be something other than it really was. In the same way, people have no real idea of the value of what God offers them. They have exaggerated notions as to the world’s ability to satisfy. They grasp at this and that, and lay themselves out for pleasure and enjoyment, only to discover that they have been pursuing an object of no value.
Let me urge you, reader, to go in for the thing of real value. Not religion, but Christ is the object we would set before you. He died to make atonement for you, and His precious blood can cleanse all your sins away from God’s sight. Put your trust in Him. He is mighty to save, and freely forgives every sinner who confides in Him.
ML-06/26/1960