I have heard of a little boy who was very fond of snow. He had a pair of rubber boots with which to wade through it. He had a sled, too, on which to ride. Sometimes he harnessed up the old Newfoundland dog to his sled, and away went the dog with his load, as if he were a reindeer.
This little boy wished that it would snow very often. Frequently he jumped up in his bed and took a look out of the window to see if any fresh snow had fallen during the night; and he hardly knew what to do when the rain came down instead. So what do you think he said?
“I wish there was a snow string and a rain string reaching up to the clouds, so that when I pulled the snow string it would snow, and when I pulled the rain string it would rain. O wouldn’t I pull the snow-string, and down the snow would come!”
We may all be very thankful that neither snow-strings nor rain-strings do exist, in spite of the earnest wish of the little boy.
There is, however, a “string” which we may pull, and it is connected with a very much more important matter than rain or snow.
The Lord Jesus said, “I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Luke 11:99And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luke 11:9). Here are three things linked together by the Lord, asking, seeking, and knocking. We ask for a gift. We seek for a treasure. We knock at a closed door, that it may be opened.
What gift do we need? Here is an answer,
That wonderful gift, dear children, is for you. God is just waiting for you to want it and ask. Then it will be given, but only “through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“What ought Ito seek?” says someone. Seek the Lord Jesus Himself. Long, long ago Andrew sought Him, and he was saying, “We have found . . . . the Christ.” John 1:4141He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. (John 1:41). Philip sought, and he added, “We have found Him.” John 1:4545Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. (John 1:45).
The Lord Jesus has His hand on the latch of the door of salvation. He is the Master of the house. Soon a day is coming when the door will be finally shut, and though people knock, saying, “Lord, Lord, open unto us,” it will remain closed, leaving them outside. Luke 13:2525When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: (Luke 13:25). But it is not like that today, for it is the day of salvation.
Turn then to the Lord, own your own sin, and in simple faith knock at salvation’s door. Immediately it will be opened and you shall enter in, cleansed by His precious blood shed on Calvary.
ML 11/24/1918