A DRUNKARD’S WILL
The following is a drunkard’s will which was found on a chair in his room after he had committed suicide. It concerns a very sober and tragic matter: "What I am leaving to the world is a detestable character and corrupted example. What I am leaving to my parents is unbearable sorrow in their failing age. What I am leaving to my brothers and sisters is my extreme shame and dishonor. What I am leaving to my wife is a broken heart and a shameful life. What I am leaving to every one of my children is poverty, illiteracy, poor character, and the memory of a father lying in a drunkard’s tomb, going into a drunkard’s hell."
SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS
One day, two sisters were playing and singing, "Safe in the arms of Jesus." The older sister asked the younger one, "How do you know that you are safe?" The younger one answered, "When my hands are holding the Lord’s hand, I know that I am safe." The older sister said, "What if Satan comes to snatch you away from the Lord’s hand? How can you still be safe?" The younger one changed her countenance, and she thought for a long time. Then she said, "Oh, I was wrong. It is the Lord’s hand that is holding my hands. Satan cannot snatch from His hands. Therefore I am safe." Jesus said, "No one shall snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:28).
MISSING THE TRAIN BUT GAINING CHRIST
It was nine o’clock in the morning. The 8:50 train had paused and left the beautiful station after all the passengers had boarded. One old stationmaster had been working in the company for many years. After the exciting activity of the last train, he lay back to rest for an hour in front of the little garden filled with flowers. This was his reward for his hard work.
Suddenly there were some rapid footsteps followed by a man rushing in. His anger could as easily be detected as the redness on his face. Though his impatience and annoyance made him somewhat short of words, he was nevertheless harshly rebuking the driver for the latter’s negligence in waking him up to catch the train. "I was willing to pay you twenty-five dollars; I did not want to see myself missing the train. What should I do now?"
Of course, under such circumstances the only proper thing to do was to wait quietly for the ten o’clock train to arrive. But the poor man was not yet resolved in his mind as to what to do.
The stationmaster was a kind and diligent person. He had met such cases many times before, and he knew what to do. He said, "The best thing to do is to leave him alone, because soon he will recover." Therefore, he patiently waited, until the pace of the man’s walking on the platform slowed down.
Then he spoke up, "Sir, here is a comfortable waiting room. Would you care to come in and sit down?" The man turned and followed him into the small and cozy room. Outside the window were some climbing roses, and the air was clean. In the midst of the room was a round table with many tracts. These were little God-sent messengers for weary travelers. They were all appropriately designed and could easily attract people’s attention. The passenger was happy to have something to do while he was waiting. He flipped through the tracts, picked up one of them, sat down, and began to read it. By that time, the stationmaster had returned to his little garden.
He thought to himself, "What a quiet day!" A little later he looked up at the clock and realized that the next train was about to come. Some passengers had arrived, and the ticket booth had opened, and they were waiting for the next train to come. The first passenger was still sitting in the waiting room reading the tract. It was a long article, and he was fully absorbed in what it said, to the extent that he had forgotten the time. The stationmaster said, "Sir, the train is about to arrive." He jumped up from his chair as one who just woke up from sleep and shouted, "The train is coming. Will you sell this tract to me? I want to finish it." "Sir, you can take it with you. I am more than happy for you to keep it. A kind lady gave these to me, and I am sure she would be happy for you to have it." "Thank you, and please thank her for me." A minute later, the man was on the train.
One month later, the stationmaster was on the same platform. When the train stopped, a passenger jumped out of the train car and stood in front of him. He stretched out his hand and said, "Do you recognize me?" "Sir, I still recognize you. You are the frustrated person who missed the train a few weeks ago."
"I could have avoided that. But that morning though I missed the train, I gained the Savior. How wonderful was that tract! Previously, I was always busy with my business, and I had no time to think about God or read any book about God. But I could not avoid the serious questions posed by the tract. I wish I could have the time to tell you everything. But you can tell the lady who gave you the tracts that they have led me to the Lord Jesus, and I have done my best to buy and give away many tracts to others. I have never experienced greater joy."
The sound of the train whistle interrupted their conversation. The old stationmaster was happy at heart when he saw the train slowly leaving the station with one passenger glowing with joy. "One new creation created in Christ Jesus!"
BEING FILLED THROUGH WORKING FOR THE LORD
One zealous but poor believer always attended the bread-breaking meeting on the Lord’s Day. She always brought her friends and relatives along to listen to the sermon, and her face was always filled with unspeakable joy. When her friends and relatives met her, they always said, "You must have struck a fortune after you became a believer! Before, you worked seven days a week, but were still short of your daily supply. Now you do not work on Sunday, yet you still have enough to live on! Probably you have struck some fortune!" She answered with a smile, "I do not have any riches in this world. But I have received the heavenly inheritance and exhaustless treasures in heaven. I still have to work to earn my living. But every Lord’s Day, I stop my work for the Lord’s sake and consecrate the Lord’s Day to the Lord. On Sunday I am busy attending meetings for breaking bread and busy attending services; I am busy inviting people to come and busy testifying to others. It does not mean that I can earn my living without working. But when I am so busy working for the Lord, my stomach is filled already." The Bible says, "If anyone does not want to work, neither should he eat" (2 Thes. 3:10). The Lord Jesus said, "I have food to eat...My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work" (John 4:32, 34).
(Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 1) Vol. 07: The Christian (5), Chapter 1, by Watchman Nee)
