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].