A Great Testimony Of Salvation

A Great Testimony of Salvation

*William MacKay had a great testimony about how God rewrote the story of his life. In the mid-1800s, as a teenager in Scotland, William left home to go to college.

*His mother was greatly concerned about his spiritual life, so she gave him a Bible and printed a verse of Scripture on the first page. That's where she also wrote William's name. But her son soon discovered that college life was a time endless parties. He spent all the money he could get on partying. One time William wanted more money for whiskey, so he decided to sell his Bible.

*By God's grace, he made it through college and became a doctor in a large hospital. But William was still very hard-hearted toward God. Here’s part of what he later wrote:

-"My dear mother had been a godly woman, quite often telling me of the Savior. And many times, I had seen her wrestling in prayer for my salvation. But nothing had made a deep impression on me. The older I grew, the more wicked I became. For the God of my mother I did not care in the least, but rather sought by all means to drive Him out of my thoughts.

*Then one day a seriously injured laborer was brought into the hospital. He had had fallen from a ladder. The case was hopeless. All we could do was ease the pains of the unfortunate man.

*He seemed to realize his condition, for he was fully conscious. 'Have you any relatives whom we could notify?' I asked. The patient shook his head. He was alone in the world.

*His only wish was to see his landlady, because he owed her a small sum, and also wished to bid her farewell. He also requested that his landlady send him, 'The Book.' 'What book?' I questioned. 'Oh, just ask her for the Book. She will know,' was his reply.

*After a week of suffering, he died. I went to see him on my visits at least once a day. What struck me most was the quiet, almost happy expression which was constantly on his face. I knew he was a Christian, but I didn’t care to talk with him about such matters.

*After the man had died, some things about his affairs were to be attended to in my presence. 'What shall we do with this?' asked the nurse, holding up a book in her hand. 'What kind of book is it?' I asked. 'The Bible of the poor man. As long as he was able to read it, he did so. . ."

*I took the Bible and -- could I trust my eyes? It was my own Bible! My name was still in it, written in my mother’s hand. I took the Bible to my room. It had been used frequently. Many pages were loose, others were torn. . . Almost every page gave evidence that it had been read very often. Many places were underlined.

*With a deep sense of shame, I looked upon the Book, the precious Book. It had given much comfort and refreshment to the dying man in his last hours. It had guided him into eternal life, so that he had been able to die in peace and happiness. And this Book, the last gift of my mother, I had actually sold for a ridiculous price. I need not add much more."

*Several hours later William Mackay got down on his knees and received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He later became a preacher, and wrote a hymn we have sung many times:

"We praise Thee, O God!

For the Son of Thy love,

For Jesus Who died,

And is now gone above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Hallelujah! Amen.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Revive us again."

*Christian, you may think, "I wish I had an amazing story like that of God saving me." You DO have a story like that! Jesus Christ left His home in Heaven and came to earth for you! Jesus Christ went all the way to the cross for you! By Hid grace, our risen Lord has saved you! And when we get to Heaven, we will be amazed to see all that God did to make sure we were in the right place at the right time to get saved.

Adapted from:

-"Revive Us Again" - NELSON’S COMPLETE BOOK OF STORIES, ILLUSTRATIONS & QUOTES, Page 56

-http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/m/a/c/mackay_wp.htm

-http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/r/e/reviveus.htm

-Morgan, Robert J., MORE REAL STORIES FOR THE SOUL, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers) c 2000