2003-09-30 - Don't Stop Doing Good
1 Corinthians 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, I have
nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not
preach the gospel.
I was reading, and you should all know that I tend to read old stuff. Well,
I found this story interesting and helpful to me. I hope it will be to you
also.
In 1832 the Rev. W. W. Robinson, A. M. of Rochford, was said to have been
passing through a town on his way to another town. He was of one denomination
(Conservative Presbyterian), but on his way to where he was to preach he
passed by a Baptist church. He felt that those entering the church were of
the same faith as him and thus he did not intend to distribute to those entering
the church any of the gospel tracts he had been giving out along his passage.
He did not think they needed them. He thought they must be accustomed to
hearing the gospel. However, his assistant thought there could be some who
were given to foolishness, so he passed out some tracts.
You can guess how this goes, someone was saved, and, of course this is where
we are headed. But it is more than this, because I knew where we were heading
at this point also. I just summarized the story. Spreading the gospel of
Christ is to be our lifeblood. In the light of eternity what else are we
to do? Well, lots of things, but what should drive us? It is spreading the
gospel. That should be our lifeblood. This assistant minister had it right
and he passed out tracts. He did it in hope, and here is the result.
The traveling minister did not think that there was any point in giving out
gospel tracts to one who was entering a church where the gospel was preached.
He only allowed a few to be given out. A couple of days later the minister
of that Baptist church sought out the minister and told him the following
story...
One of his members, a woman, had received one of the gospel tracts. Her husband
had persecuted her, and would not allow her to have dinner if she went to
the chapel service. She would give in so she could go to chapel and attend
the worship of God.
The day we are remembering she simply went home in the normal manner. However,
she invited her husband to look at the gospel tract she had received and
he did. He burst into tears. He told her that she could have her dinner.
After reading the entire tract he asked her if she would go with him to the
evening service. The reports were that on Tuesday he was at the weekly prayer
meeting service.
It was the simple act of one person, in the providence of God, that led to
the conversion of this one man. How much may our simple acts of spreading
the grace of God and the mercy in Christ lead to the Lord drawing souls into
His kingdom? How can we ever know? What an eternal privilege it is to have
the news of the gold of the gospel to share. We have so much to offer others.
We will never know until heaven how much we really had and now have to offer.
Don't stop doing good! Don't stop seeking to win souls to Christ. This is
to be the lifeblood of the follower of Christ. We live this life as ambassadors
for Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:20.
Soli Deo Gloria,
T-
godrulestb@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
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