What God did for this man He can do for you.
A man came to a Christian minister by the name of Stephen Merritt for help and advice. He said, “Mr. Merritt, I had heard that you sympathize with a fellow in trouble and I am going to tell you the whole truth. I have been in prison for eleven years and I do not know what to do. I do not have any trade, I do not have any money, I do not have any friends, and I have nowhere to go. All my friends are in prison, and I was just at the point of committing another crime to be sent back to prison when someone told me of you. Now Mr. Merritt, what would you do?” Mr. Merritt looked at him and said, “I do not know what I would do.” The man was urgent and replied, “But Mr. Merritt, put yourself in my place. I have no trade, no money, no friends, and nowhere to go.” Mr. Merritt looked at him and said, “No trade, no money, no friends, and nowhere to go — why you are the most dejected fellow that I have ever met. You have a great opportunity to become a Christian and filled with the Holy Spirit. The trouble with most of us is that we are filled with other things. Let the Spirit of God come into your heart and He will be Money in your pocket, a Friend by your side, and a Refuge for you. He will be everything to you.”
This man, disappointed and astonished, quickly withdrew, and walking away, he turned a corner and then stopped and said to himself, “What did that old fellow mean, anyway? He did not even know me, and talking to me of religion! When I was in prison and someone came around to talk to me about religion, I refused to listen; but that old fellow said that God’s Spirit could come into a man’s heart and be everything to him.” Now this man, who knew nothing about religion, did not know that he was praying when he looked up to the sky and said, “Oh God, if You can come into a man’s heart and be everything to him, please come into mine.”
A strange impulse now started to guide this man as he walked. He walked for a long time, and then, under this same impulse, he crossed a river and continued his journey, not knowing where he was going. When morning came, he found himself following this same inner guidance. He went into a large business and asked the man who seemed to be in charge if he had any work for him, but the man looked up and roared, “No!” He left but was not discouraged, and he walked on. He saw another large business, and following this same inner guidance, he asked, “Do you have any work for a man?” The man to whom he spoke quickly replied , “No sir.” As he started to leave the man called to him and said, “How long were you at your last place?” He replied, “I was eleven years in . . .” “All right,” interrupted the head of the firm, “go into the next room and report to the superintendent and he will tell you what to do.”
Now, it was not long until this man was promoted, and in a short time he became the confidential secretary of his employer. Then the man’s conscience troubled him, for he feared that he had secured his position under a false pretense. He called his employer aside and told him the circumstances of the first day when he came and asked for work. His employer said, “If I had known then what you tell me now I probably would not have hired you, but I have tested you and will retain you.”
Mr. Merritt said, “I had a call from an apparent stranger the other day,” and he said, “Mr. Merritt, do you know me?” And I said, “I do not think so.” “Well,” said the stranger, “I am the man that came to you after having served eleven years in prison, and you told me to let the Holy Spirit come into my heart and life, and He would be Money in my pocket, a Friend by my side, and everything that I needed. Mr. Merritt, you did not put it in strong enough words!” The man then related to Mr. Merritt how God had provided a job for him, and then he added, “Today I am a member of a firm and God is so real and so good to me. He is everything to me!”
To receive God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, you must receive God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior. The Bible says that all people have sinned (failed to meet God’s perfect standard of righteousness and holiness, Rom. 3:23); therefore all people need God’s forgiveness. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die for the sins of all people. This includes you. No matter who you are or what you have done in the past, you may have your sins forgiven by Jesus Christ and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus suffered and died as an atoning sacrifice for your sins. He took the punishment that you deserve so that you might be forgiven. Jesus will forgive your sins if you truly repent and turn to Him with all your heart. You will receive eternal life and will someday live with Jesus in heaven. You will also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide you in life and be everything to you! Ask Jesus to forgive you now! Just say, “Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner!” — Luke 18:13
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