TRAVELLING

BUT HOW ?

By FAH

Some years ago I was returning home after spending a happy week-end with believers in the North of Scotland. Accompanying me for part of the journey was a young man who lived near Glasgow. For certain reasons I had taken a first class return ticket, but as my young friend was traveling third class I got into a compartment with him.

Changing at Aberdeen we boarded the south-bound express and found our fellow travelers to be a middle-aged man, a young, rather fashionable girl, a middle-aged woman and a teenage girl. The young Christian sat between the fashionable dressed girl and myself. Almost before we had cleared the platform the ticket inspector appeared, and taking my ticket first, said in a voice heard by all, “There is plenty of room first class, sir.” I told him I would revert to that class when I left my friend at Perth. After the inspector had left the compartment the girl next to my friend leaned forward and remarked, “It is evident that you do not come from Aberdeen. If you did you would not pay first class and travel third.” Then she added “You might pay third and travel first.” Immediately the man opposite to her said “That would raise the question of conscience!” Looking across at him I said, “Conscience is a word not often heard today. Where did you get it from?” He replied “From the Bible,” and in answer to my further question as to why he read the Bible he said, “Because it tells me of my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” “Thank God,” I replied, “He is my Saviour, too.” The young man next to me then said,” And He is my Saviour, too.” Quietly I said, “Three men and three ladies, the men have all owned that Jesus is their Saviour. I wonder where the ladies stand?” The young teenage girl responded at once, “He is my Saviour, too, we are all Christians in my home.”

Quietly I remarked, “We are in the majority now.” After a pause, and evidently with some embarrassment, the middle–aged lady said ‘’I too know the Lord as my Saviour, although I am afraid I have perhaps grown a little cold, but, yes, He is my Saviour.”

Again I spoke, in an atmosphere which had become very tense, “That leaves one. I would not like to be the only one who does not love the Lord Jesus, because the Scripture says, ”If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha” (accursed at His coming). The young girl, who incidentally had started the conversation, leaned over and said, “I cannot say that I love the Lord; I have never heard these things before.” We spoke to her of the Saviour, and of His love, the value of His blood and the salvation He had made available to all who would trust Him as Saviour and Lord.

Is the reader of this simple story traveling without Christ as Saviour? The wheels of destiny, as the wheels of that train, are carrying us quickly to our journey’s end. Will that end be the happy portion which belongs to those who “love our Lord Jesus Christ, ”or will it be the gloom of a lost eternity? The scripture we have referred to speaks of the return of Christ to this scene, prior to which He will have taken everyone who loves Him to be with Himself forever. Had He come (as well He might at any moment) during that train journey that girl would have been left alone in that compartment – without one person to speak to her of the Saviour’s love! These things are not fables, they are urgent realities!

Again we would ask,

‘’Are you traveling along life’s journey

with the knowledge of Jesus as your own personal Saviour?”

If not, will you turn to Him now?

–

just now!