Page 10 - Good News December 2016 paper
P. 10

Y O U N G   E N G L I S H   Every  Sunday  she  would  ask
                 WOMAN married a man  him  to  accompany  her  to
          Ain the Government ser-              church  and  he  as  often
          vice. Her husband was a light-       refused. He would say: "If you
          hearted  young  man,  who  will go with me and my friends
          smoked,  drank  and  gambled  once,  I  will  go  forty  times  to
          like the other young men of his  church with you." She refused.
          set.                                 One  Christmas  Eve  the  hus-
          As the years went on, he was  band  went  to  dinner  with  his
          promoted in service, had large  friends  before  going  home  to
          responsibilities,  but  he  be-      his wife and children with his
          came a hardened gambler and  usual Christmas presents. He
          the  leader  of  a  circle  who  was  in  good  spirits  and
          boasted  that  they  could  laughingly  distributed  the
          individually  drink  a  bottle  of  gifts.  To  his  horror  he  found  present."  But  she  stood  firm,  Cross, and saying: "I died for
          whiskey  and  be  nothing  the  that  he  had  for  the  first  time  and reminded him that he had  you."
          worse for it.                        since  he  was  married,  for-        promised. When the time came  "For me, Lord?" and there, in
          As  the  husband  went  deeper  gotten  to  buy  his  wife  a  for his wife to go to the service,  soul  agony,  he  called  on  the
          into  sin,  his  wife,  through  present.                                  he overheard the children say  Saviour to save him and to put
          anxiety  on  his  account,  be-      He  was  utterly  at  a  loss  to  to her: "Do you think father will  away  from  him  forever  the
          came deeply worried about her  account  for  this,  and  said  to  go with us?"                                 desire for all sin.
          soul,  and  as  a  lost,  guilty  her:  "I  don't  know  how  this  "Yes,"  she  said,  "your  father  Like the "chief of sinners he fell
         sinner  (Rom.  3:9-19),  cast  happened but to make up for it,  has never broken a promise to  to  the  earth"  (Acts  9:4)  and
         herself and all her burdens on  you may ask what you like, and  me."                                             upon  his  knees  in  his  own
         the Saviour and became a new  I will give it to you."                       He  had  no  choice!  Later  that  house.  With  no  one  near  but
         creature  in  Christ,  with  one  She quietly and earnestly said:  evening,  after  they  had  God,  he  acknowledged  his
         burning  desire  -  to  bring  her  "Come with me to the Church  returned from the service, one  "manifold  transgressions"
         husband to Christ as well. For  service tonight. That will be my  of the pictures in the hallway  (Amos 5:12), and accepted the
         thirteen years she prayed with  present."                                   caught his eye. It was a picture  Lord Jesus Christ as his own
         never-failing faith that the Lord  "Oh, no," he said, "I cannot do  of  Christ  on  the  Cross  of  and only Saviour. He believed
         would convert her husband.            that;  come  on,  ask  for  some  Calvary.  He  never  liked  the  on Him "Who was delivered for
                                                                                     picture,  but  tonight  it  smote  our  offences,  and  was  raised
                                                                                     him to the heart.                    again  for  our  justification"
                                                                                     Words  he  had  long  forgotten  (Rom. 4:25), and rose from his
                                                                                     came to mind: "He was despi-         knees, a free man, with Christ
                                                                                     sed and rejected of men; a Man  as  his  Saviour  and  almighty
                                                                                     of  Sorrows,  and  acquainted  Deliverer!
                                                                                     with  grief...  He  was  wounded  That very night he went to his
                                                                                     for our transgressions, He was  old companions and told them
                                                                                     bruised for our iniquities... the  what the Lord Jesus had done
                                                                                     chastisement of our peace was  for him. At first they thought he
                                                                                     upon Him; and with His stripes  was joking and laughed at him,
                                                                                     we are healed" (Isaiah 53:3-5).      but  eventually  they  had  to
                                                                                     His  wasted  past  and  the  admit  that  if  God  can  save  a
                                                                                     prospect  of  an  awful  Eternity  drinking,  gambling,  swearing
                                                                                     rolled  in  like  billows  over  his  sinner of the deepest dye and
                                                                                     soul. He realised that his only  make  him  a  new  creature  in
                                                                                     hope for peace was in this One,  Christ, He can save anyone!
                                                                                     Who  was  despised,  rejected,
                                                                                     wounded and bruised!                 HE IS ALSO BOTH ABLE AND
                                                                                     He looked and looked, until it  WILLING TO SAVE YOU!
                                                                                     seemed  to  him  as  if  it  were  [From:  The  Railway  Messen-
                                                                                     Christ Himself hanging on that  ger, December 1996].
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