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People who found Jesus
MILLIONS today, know not how to give their hearts
to Jesus. Millions more know not whether it is even possible to be saved, or
even whether there is a God or Savior. Yet there is a simple way by which they
can know and be saved. How? They can start right where they are, with the
knowledge they have, and begin seeking salvation, walking in all the light that
comes to them. They will then have the assurance that they will find it; for
Jesus has said, "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh
findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Luke 11:10.
Professor Horace Bushnell, a famous teacher at
Yale University, was a skeptic, but he was very popular. When a minister went
there to hold a series of meetings at the school, the young men, instead of
giving their hearts to God, were inclined to hide behind Bushnell, because he
was not a believer in Christ.
The minister at last went to Professor Bushnell
and said, "Professor, if these things that I am preaching are true, wouldn’t
you like to know it? If Christ be real, wouldn’t you like to know it? If
Christ does change men who trust Him, and forgives them, and puts a superhuman
power in their lives, wouldn’t you like to know it?"
After thoughtful consideration Bushnell replied,
"Certainly I would like to know it, if these thing be reliable and
praiseworthy."
The minister then said, "You can know it if
you will just be honest."
"How?" Bushnell asked.
"Take Christ’s own challenge, said the
minister. ‘If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether
it be of God.’" John 7:17.
"But," said Bushnell, "I do not
know how to start. I do not know that there is any God at all. How could I
start?"
The minister replied: "Start like this: ‘O
God, if there be such a Being, give me light on this matter of religion. If Thou
has any interest in my getting light, and if Thou wilt give me light, no matter
how it comes, I will follow such light wherever it leads.’ Take that clue and
you will find God."
Then with firmness and decision Professor
Bushnell said, "I will take it!"
Three days later he came back, and from the
rostrum of the chapel he said to his students: "My men, I have a wonderful
thing to tell you. I laughed to scorn all that this man preached, and all the
rest of them, and the churches. I have found out that I was in the darkness and
they were in the light. Oh, I have put God to the test!" Then concerning
Christ he said, "I am henceforth His disciple and friend for ever!"
Although many do not care whether they will be
saved or lost, God cares and appeals to all everywhere on earth: "Look unto
Me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none
else." Isaiah 45:22. What a wonderful experience He gives to all who will
look to Him for it, for He says: "Come now, and let us reason together,
said 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." Isaiah 1:18. And
Jesus Himself said, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent." - John 17: 3.
Do you have a true knowledge of God and of
Christ? If not, will you pray as Bushnell prayed, "O God, if there be such
a Being, give me light on this matter of religion. If Thou wilt give me light,
no matter how it comes, I will follow such light wherever it leads"? Will
you keep this prayer before God till you get the light?
It was only a few days till Bushnell was
wonderfully converted. It may not take you nearly that long. It is the
earnestness that quickens the answer. To be forgiven, to be cleansed in heart,
and to be made holy in life by faith in Christ, who died on the cross for all-
how wonderful an experience! =^..^=
It was
evening. On an
excursion boat off the Atlantic coast, a couple, married only a few hours
before, were watching the endless
waves of the moonlit ocean.
Suddenly there was an explosion, and the boat was
soon in flames. Then there
followed a second explosion. Both husband and wife were injured, but were taken
to different hospitals.
When the husband recovered, he went to the other hospital to see about his wife,
but she had gone without
leaving any address.
He then began a search that continued for twenty years, until an expert in
finding lost people took
over. Thinking that perhaps she had gone back to her former employment in the
garment industry, he began
a search in that direction. At last the investigator paused behind one of the
machine operators, and in a slow
and quiet voice uttered a name. Instantly her hands dropped from their work.
In
a few moments they were
back again, but were working nervously, unsteadily. So the same low voice spoke
again, “Your husband
wants you.”
In a voice tense with emotion the woman said, “I am not married! The name you
have spoken is
not mine!”
“But your husband has searched twenty years for you. He wants you!” the low
voice continued.
The hands again stopped their work, and the woman quickly turned her face to the
speaker and
exclaimed, “Do you think a man would marry me with a face like this?”
Her face revealed a mass of terrible scars, seared into her features by a
frightful burn. The
investigator was startled, but felt certain he had found the lost wife. But it
took days of kind persuasion to
get her to admit it and tell her story. The second explosion had injured her,
and when she saw the mass of
terrible scars, she felt sure her husband would no longer love her, so she left
the hospital without a word.
But she agreed to have her photograph taken and shown to her husband, and if he
still cared for her, she
would come to him. When the husband saw the photograph, with great happiness he
recognized her at once
and urged a prompt meeting. When they met, it was a happy moment. Others present
saw the sorrow and
loneliness lift from the burned countenance, and saw it shine with a glow of
happiness because her husband
loved her still!
Likewise the love of God manifested through Christ draws the backslider back to
the Father, for
we read the divine promise, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:
therefore with loving
kindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3.
Jesus yearns with compassionate love
for the wanderers to
come back to Him, walk once more with Him, and at last dwell with Him in His
everlasting home, the Holy
City, so wondrously fair and surpassingly adorned as to be called “the bride,
the Lamb’s wife.”
Were you taught to believe in and follow Jesus
but have wandered away
from Him? Or have you never before learned about Jesus and how much He loves you
and wants you to choose to be His child?
How much God will do for you if you will
only ask for it! He even tells you just how to ask, and what to
say: “Behold, we come unto
Thee; for Thou art the Lord our God.”
So each of us may use God’s given way of
returning to Him and
say, “Behold, I come unto Thee; for Thou art the Lord my God.” His everlasting love will
make it easy for you to
say and mean these words from your heart, and then from His great heart of love
will flow the forgiveness,
and cleansing, and peace, and power that will make you glad and rejoice in Him.
By His tender Spirit Jesus draws near to you.
What assuring words He has given you: `Him that comes to Me I will In no wise
cast out.” John 6: 37.
Jesus has loved you with His everlasting love, His boundless, compassionate
love; and He entreats you,
“Come unto Me and ... rest.” Say to Him words like these:
“Dear Savior, I will come, I do come to Thee as Thy dear follower, accepting Thee with all my
heart as my own
dear Savior. And I will trust Thee to keep me happy and steadfast in Thy love
and service, till at last I am
with Thee in Thy glorious kingdom for ever!”
Then every day, the very first thing, say a little prayer
like this:
“Take me, 0 Lord, as wholly Yours. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today
in Thy service. Stay with me, and help me to serve Thee all day.”
Then all
day rest in Jesus by an abiding, peaceful trust. Let your mind think about His
everlasting love for you, and His wonderful promises for you.
"Never a trial that He is not there, Never a burden that He does not bear, Never
a sorrow that He
does not share, Moment by moment I’m under His care."
IN THESE DAYS of so many bad habits. We need the
saving and keeping power of God. And how great is His power to help and uphold
the very weakest!
Let us see how much God promises to do for those
who trust Him: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I
am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of My righteousness." Isaiah 41: 10.
God promises to hold us with His own right hand.
And He also adds, "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying
unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Verse 13.
God helps us, saves us, and keeps us through
Jesus, His beloved Son, our Redeemer. We read further, ‘Fear not, thou worm
Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will help thee, said the Lord, and thy Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel." Verse 14.
When we give up to God our bad ways or habits,
our Creator makes us into a new creature, victorious over them all! Just as He
promises: "Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having
teeth. Thou shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shall make the
hills as chaff." Verse 15. Can you imagine a worm with teeth-
teeth that can chew down mountains of difficulties?
Not only does God make us victorious over all bad
habits when we give ourselves wholly to Him, but He also gives us glory and joy
in our hearts. He says: "Thou shall fan them, and the wind shall carry them
away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them. And thou shall rejoice in the Lord,
and shall glory in the Holy One of Israel." Verse 16.
The following story is told by Mrs. J. K. Burney
in one of her booklets about the truth of these great promises of God.
She was asking a man to sign the Temperance
pledge and give up drinking, but he answered: "Oh, lady, it’s no use. I’d
break it right off, and I shouldn’t like to break your pledge."
‘Listen’, I replied. ‘Here are some words
just for you: "I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto
thee, Fear not, I will help thee."
"Where did you get that, lady? Would you
mind reading it again?"
I opened my Bible to Isaiah 41:13. He read and
reread the verse, then said: ‘You see how my hand trembles? Do you suppose I
could write my name if God held my hand?’
‘Oh, yes, I am sure you could.’
‘Do you suppose I’d ever take another glass
of liquor if God held my hand?’
`Never, unless you took your hand out of the Lord’s.
He never lets go of anyone.’
‘I’ve tried a good many times alone. Now,
here goes for God and me.’
He kept his pledge, frequently saying, ‘It’s
a good grip He gives me; never saw anything like it in my life."
"Lady do you suppose I’d ever take another
glass of liquor if God held my hand?"
Yes, the Lord is able to keep us at all times
from falling into any sin whatsoever; for He says also, "Behold, the Lord’s
hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it
cannot hear."
"Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of
the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them,
they stand up together." Isaiah 59:1; 48:13.
Jesus can keep us faithful in His service all day
long, all our life long!
After a meeting held in a seaport town, two
sailors were spoken to about salvation. One of them said, "It ain’t no
use. If we gave up drinking and swearing tonight, we would be as bad as ever
tomorrow."
Taking his watch from his pocket, the leader of
the meeting said, "Do you think the maker of this watch could wind it up
again?"
"Of course he could," they admitted.
"Well, God is your Maker, and don’t you
think He could wind you up and keep you going?"
"We never thought of that, sir."
"Come to Him, then, and prove His power. He
can put you in working order and keep you going on board ship just as well as on
land."
They did so, and many months later they returned
after a voyage. When asked how well God had kept them, they replied: "All
right, thank God! We made up our minds that every morning we would kneel down
and ask Him to wind us up for the day, and every night we would thank Him for
having done it; and He did."
Is the Lord your keeper? Does He keep you when
you are tempted and tried? Are you enjoying His wonderful keeping power? If not,
do you wish you were kept by His mighty power all day long and had peace of mind
and gladness of heart? You can choose to have it.
God saves and keeps us through Jesus, who is the
good Shepherd of the Father’s sheep, and who says, "I am the good
shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine." John 10: 14.
Do you wish He were your Shepherd, too? He will
be, just say from your heart, that you accept Him as your heavenly Shepherd,
that you want Him to hold your hand and He will! In this simple way all the
blessings of God’s keeping power through Jesus may be yours, both in this life
and in the life to come.
Read in your Bible the wonderful Shepherd’s
Psalm, # 23. It is for you- if you want it! Search
your Bible for other precious promises and realize they are all for you. God
never breaks his promise! =^..^=
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