Dick was brought up in a respectable home. His father and mother were regular Church-goers, his father being church-warden for many years. Dick himself was a regular church-goer, often attending services twice on Sunday, a school scholar, but for all that he was not happy for he felt that if he were to die he would not go to heaven, in other words he was
Lost and knew it.
Dick was about ten years of age when he realized his lost and sinful condition, and for this reason he tried hard to live a Christian life. He knew that only true Christians would go to heaven, Alas! he utterly failed in the attempt to lead a Christian life, yet tried again and again with only the same result. He would say to himself,
“It’s hard to be a Christian,” yet he continued his efforts, knowing full well that if he did not go to heaven he would go to hell, for there are only two places spoken of in the next world in the Bible.
Dick was confirmed, which made him redouble his efforts to live the Christian life, hut he found he could not. This fresh effort only lasted for about a week, hardly that. He found that he had no more power over temptation than he had before.
Dick was nearly in despair, for he knew that were he to die, he would go straight to hell although he had been confirmed. Often when it thundered he would shudder at the thought of the possibility of being struck down dead by the lightning, and on each birthday, he would say to himself,
“I’m a year nearer hell.” Awful thought!
Two years after being confirmed, however, Dick, who was still trying hard, gave up trying and just knelt down on his knees in his bedroom, and, trusting the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, asked Him to forgive him his sins, and to save him. The Lord Jesus answered his prayer, for did He not say, as recorded in His Word,
To Dick’s greatest surprise and joy, he began to have power over temptations, and to have a desire for reading the Word of God and for prayer. The fear of going to hell was gone; in fact he realized he was actually on the road to heaven; for he believed the words of the Lord Jesus that if he trusted Him as his Saviour, he would be saved and he was.
Dick found out after that, the reason for his failure in trying to live the Christian life was because he tried when he was not a Christian, and that only the Christian is given power from God to live the Christian life.
Dear reader, are you in the same position as Dick was? Have you been baptized as an infant and confirmed in youth, and yet you do not feel happy, for you are not sure that you are going to heaven? Well, let us call your earnest attention to the words of the Lord Jesus,
Do as Dick did, come to the Lord Jesus, tell Him how you feel, tell Him that you know He has died for you, for the Lord Jesus has been nailed to the cross for your sins and mine, and has paid sin’s penalty. Tell Him you accept what He has done for you. If you do this, immediately your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven, and you will have the same joy and peace of God in your heart that Dick has.
ML 03/29/1936