Steve P. Holcombe, the Converted Gambler: His Life and WorkAlexander, Gross
Religion
Steve P. Holcombe, the Converted Gambler: His Life and Work
Alexander, Gross
Holcombe, Steve P., 1835-; Methodists -- United States -- Biography
And now, here are some of the ways God has taken to tell you of His
love: Psalm ciii., 13; Isaiah xlix., 15; Luke xi., 13; Luke xviii., 13,
14; Luke xv., 7, 10; Prodigal Son; Luke vii., 36 to end.
"I came not to call the righteous but _sinners_ to repentance."
Why does God, in so many ways, express His love for sinners?
Because He wants to touch their hearts and melt them by tenderness.
A father whose son had gone away to California, and was a gambler in San
Francisco, sent him word by a friend: "Your father loves you still." And
it made him ashamed; it broke his heart; he repented, returned home and
was saved.
So God sends me to-day to say to you: "Your Father loves you still."
Will you not believe it and come to Him for safety? He will not abuse
you for your sins; He will save you from your sins, and make you as
happy as you were when you were little children at your mother's knee.
You know it is true that parents are more troubled about a wandering
boy, and take more pains with him than with the good boys, and think
more about him and pray more for him, because he is in danger and must
be rescued or perish. So it is with God. Because you are lost, away from
Him, on the road to ruin, He sends after you and He begs you to be
reconciled.
GODLINESS PROFITABLE FOR THIS LIFE.
I. TIMOTHY IV: 8.
"But godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise
of the life that now is and of that which is to come."
There are not many who think this. Nearly everybody admits that religion
is a good thing to have when he is about to die and to enter upon the
future life; and all men, however hardened in vice, wickedness and
crime, have a sure expectation and firm intention of making some
preparation for death and what may follow death. They fully intend to
make amends to conscience for the violations of it, of which they have
been guilty.
There are men here to-day who know that this is true of themselves, who
feel that the coffin and the grave and the unknown future beyond are the
most fearful of realities, and who are firmly persuaded that a day of
reckoning is coming, maybe slowly, but surely, and they do mean to make
peace in some way with conscience before that time draws near. And so I
say all men agree that religion is good for death and what is to follow;
but how it can be an advantage to one in _this life_, they can not see.
1. But godliness is a help to a man in making a living.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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