Are You Looking?

“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other."

Isaiah 45:22

Charles Haddon Spurgeon is well known to many of us because of his excellent study of God’s Word and the influence he’s made for Christ, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Peace."  In the Historical Devotion book I’m reading by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten, the January 6^th entry is about him. I enjoyed reading it and want to share part of the story.

"I count that part of my life lost which I spent not in communion with God, or in doing good."

John Donne, 1572-1631

“Fifteen year old Charles was headed to church during a snowstorm that Sunday morning when he ducked into a Primitive Methodist chapel to escape the snow. The congregation was sparse, and a lay preacher was filling in for the pastor. His text was “Look Unto Me,” and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” Charles loved to tell the story:

“He did not even pronounce the words rightly, but that did not matter. There was, I thought, a glimmer of hope for me in that text. The preacher began thus: ‘This is a very simple text indeed. It says ‘Look. Now lookin’ don’t take a deal of pain. It ain’t liftin’ your foot or your finger; it is just ‘Look. Well, a man needn’t go to college to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look’ . . . When he had managed to spin out about ten minutes or so, he was at the end of his tether. Then he looked at me under the gallery, and I daresay, with so few present, he knew me to be a stranger. ‘Just man, you look miserable.’ Well, I did, but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance before. However, it was a good blow, struck right home. He continued: ‘And you will always be miserable—miserable in life and miserable in death—if you don’t obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved . . . Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but look and live.’”

You can’t really miss the boat on this one. If you really look at Jesus, you will know that He is the Son of God.

"NOW is the watchword of the wise."

Charles Spurgeonm 1834-1893

Charles Spurgeon titled his devotion book “Look Unto Me", very appropriate I thought. Don’t be left behind. Open your eyes and look. NOW!