While a postman was sorting his letters one morning, his attention was caught by a text of Scripture, which he saw on an envelope. The words were these: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:3636For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)). The more he thought of the question, the more troubled he became. He was not a Christian, and he knew that if he died as he was, he would be eternally lost. What would it profit him if he became as rich as a Gates or a Trump and yet were to lose his own soul?
The more he thought, the more alarmed he became. What if he were to lose his soul? He knew he was far from being all that he should be, and if he should be summoned suddenly to meet God, where would he be? Would he be banished from the presence of God forever in the “blackness of darkness”? Was there no way of escape? Thoroughly convinced that he needed a Savior, he longed to gain forgiveness. How strange that, living in a land of Bibles and churches, he knew nothing of the way of salvation!
About a week after he saw the first text on the envelope, there was a second and different text. This time it was the Apostle Paul’s answer to the Philippian jailer’s question: “What must I do to be saved?...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-3130And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:30‑31)).
There was the clear, definite answer to the greatest of all questions. The postman walked his route very thoughtfully that day. Did he believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? He felt that he did not-and that he did not know how. When his mail had all been delivered, he walked on, and, happening to pass a meeting place, he noticed that a service was going on. He went in and was surprised to hear the speaker say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” It was the very verse he had seen on the second envelope!
As he heard the wonderful story of God’s mighty and matchless love in giving Jesus to die as the sacrifice for sin, and as he learned what that death had accomplished, the postman received the gospel and rejoiced in Christ as his Savior.
“I have been a different man ever since,” he said to a woman to whom he told the story, “and I’m thankful for the one who sent that envelope.”
“What shall it profit a man [or woman-or child], if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”