WILLIAM, when a boy, used to go to a service every Sunday, because he played the cornet and enjoyed the music. This was his only reason for going, and he never listened to the sermon or prayers. He had no wish to hear that he was a sinner, and that God was calling upon him to own it, and turn to Christ for salvation.
Although he did not intend to listen to anything which might be said, he knew all the time that he was a sinner. This fact kept him in a state of restlessness and misery, for he was not happy with Christians nor with his worldly friends. One evening when with his gay companions, one of them turned suddenly on him and said, "William, why don't you decide one way or another, either to come with us and be one of us, or go with your Christian friends? You Will never get anywhere as you are now.”
This brought him to the point. He saw that his worldly friends felt that he was halfhearted; and so he was, for the burden of his sins was getting heavier as the days passed by.
So he pulled himself up and got alone with God, and like the tax-gatherer we are told of in Luke 18 he asked God to be merciful to him, the sinner, and forgive his neglect of Him, and his many sins. God, ever merciful and gracious and ready to pardon, forgave him, and made William conscious of His grace in receiving him.
Then he became a witness for the Lord, farming during the day and preaching in the evening in his own country, which was Poland. God blessed him, and brought others to Himself through His faithful young servant.
There are boys and girls nowadays very much as William was. Their Christian friends and relations cannot say whether they belong to the Lord Jesus Christ or not. You may wonder, perhaps, whether a bat is a bird or an animal. It has wings and flies like a bird, but in other ways it resembles a small animal. There is an uncertainty in classing it. Perhaps you are like that, unclassed.
Someone says, "Is John a Christian?”
“Well," the answer is, "he reads his Bible and. appears to pray, but he always chooses friends who certainly are not.”
Is that how people speak of you? Let me beg of you to settle the question and make your choice, and let everyone know that, like King David, your heart is fixed. "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise," he could say. (Psa. 57:7; 108:17My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. (Psalm 57:7)
1<<A Song or Psalm of David.>> O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. (Psalm 108:1).)
We are told of King Jotham that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. It says, "So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared [or established, or fixed] his ways before the Lord his God." (2 Chron. 27:66So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God. (2 Chronicles 27:6).) He acted with a fixed intention, not like King Rehoboam of whom the opposite is said “He did evil, because he prepared [or fixed] not his heart to seek the Lord." (2 Chron. 12:1414And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. (2 Chronicles 12:14).)
With Jotham there was no half-and-half intention, no uncertain sound in his movements. He was definitely for God, for His house, His kingdom and His glory.
Are you? If so you will be happy and make others so, and give joy to the heart of Christ, as He looks down from heaven on this earth to see those whose hearts are perfect towards Him. For He loves those who love Him and seek His interests here.