You may think from the title that Jim was an old man—but he was not. When I first met him he was a young man in his late teens. I met him at some cross roads, when walking across a wild, hilly part of Yorkshire, and offered him a gospel tract. Jim gladly accepted it. A conversation commenced and, unlike many today, he seemed eager to hear more. So we agreed to meet in the evening just outside the village.
Sure enough, at the appointed time Jim was there. We took a walk to the edge of the moors and sat down. What do you think we talked about? We spent the whole evening speaking of the Lord Jesus, of God’s way of salvation, and of many other things. We opened God’s Word and read from it, and then prayed before we parted. Jim, listened gladly. He truly loved the Lord Jesus, but did not know that as result of his faith, he had passed from death unto life. He had never heard the gospel put simply and clearly before, as many of you dear children have, but now he could see it all, and knew himself to be a true child of God, eternally saved and on the road to heaven. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” 1 John 5:1313These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13).
That night Jim lay down thankfully. and slept soundly—but not on a nice bed such as you have to sleep on! No, he lay down on “mother earth,” under a tree, with only a clump of grass for a pillow. You say, why was that? Because Jim was poor, and he had many brothers and sisters and an invalid father. He worked all day, sharpening scissors and knives, and sent his earnings home at the end of the day. That was love, was it not? Yes, and the Lord Jesus noticed that love and sacrifice for others.
Today Jim is no longer poor. Since those days the Lord Jesus has provided abundantly for him. But much more than that, Jim has been used to preach the gospel to others, and others have been blessed. He so longed later that others too might he saved, that he would take his car, with texts hanging from it, and preach the gospel from the running board.
Have yo put your trust in Jim’s saviour and Lord? Do you know yourself to be truly “poor,” that is, a helpless sinner? If so, may you then trust in that Saviour, who Himself took your place on the cross, and who can make you truly “rich.”
ML 08/19/1951