AT the close of a gospel preaching, a young woman came to me in deep soul-trouble, inquiring the way of salvation. After a little conversation, in which I found that the Spirit of God had deeply convicted her of sin, I took her Bible, and turning to John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16), and asked her to read it. She did so, and read, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I then said to her,
“Go home to your room, and in the presence of God, alone with Himself, go down on your knees and turn to this verse, and instead of the word ‘world,’ and the word ‘whosoever,’ just put your name in each place, and see how it will fit you.”
The following week, at the close of the meeting she came to me with a beaming face, and said,
“I want to thank you, sir, that I am saved now.”
“Thank God!” I replied; when did that take place?”
“Last Sunday evening,” she said. “I went home and read the verse you told me, and put my name in, and it just fitted me, and I thank God for it.”
Dear child, have you found out yet that you are a guilty sinner, exposed to the wrath of a sin-hating God? And are you trying to love God, or trying to serve God in order to be saved? If so, you are altogether wrong. You must cease your efforts, and do as the young woman did—put your name in that verse, and see how it fits.
Now just insert your name in the spaces, and I am sure it will fit.
“God so loved—, that He gave His only beloved Son, that if—believe in Him,—should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
It is not your love to God, but His love to you. Not your gift to Him, but His gift to you. His part was the loving and giving; yours is the believing and having. God loved and God gave; we believe and we have everlasting life. God says so in the verse we have given, also in many others.
ML 01/13/1918