“Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” (Luke 15:10, KJV)
We had to make a stop by Harris Teeter to purchase a couple of items that we needed.
We got the items very quickly and headed toward the cashier. The young man who was the cashier was rather strongly built and looked hard-hearted. I looked at his name tag and addressed him by his name. I asked him where he was from.
After he told us, I said, “So, you must have heard of Jesus in your country.”
He very confidently answered, “I am not religious.” He didn’t look at me as he answered.
I replied, “Neither is Jesus.”
He responded, “He’s not?!”
I answered, “Do you think that hanging on the cross for your sins and mine was about religion? Jesus is about you, because He loves you. That is why He hung on that cross, for your sins and mine.”
He stubbornly responded, “My mother is very, very religious.” He didn’t look at me, as he kept talking. “I don’t believe in going to church. She goes all the time. I am like my father and my brothers. Going to church all the time, I just don’t go for that.” I could sense his hardness.
I said, “Jesus is not about going to church. He is about your heart.”
Now he looked at me. “He is?”
“Of course. He loves you. This is not about your mother, your father, or your brothers. This is between Jesus and you, and no one else,” I explained.
“Really? It’s not?” he asked.
“He is the only way to heaven. When you leave this earth, your soul will go somewhere, heaven or hell. You don’t want to go to hell,” I said.
“No, I don’t,” he answered.
“Well, you have to ask Him to be your Saviour. He is not forceful. He is gentle. It is up to you to believe in Him. And we are going to pray right now.”
I noticed that not one customer had come to check out, so I kept on. “We are praying right now so that you may be certain where you will go. Okay?” He gave me a very serious look. “Let’s pray,” I said.
We began to pray. He believed in Jesus as the Saviour of his soul. He asked Him to forgive his sins and asked Him to take his life and use it for His glory.
He then smiled and thanked me. I gave him a very serious look, “No one can take you out of His hands now, not even you.”
He smiled and thanked me very kindly. His hardness had softened.
His heart was not stubborn enough for You, Jesus!
He had a Bible, so we talked about reading it and why. He was still smiling. Joy!
“Abba, I was a little nervous. When I first looked at this young man, he was so hard, I didn’t even think that talking about Your Son was going to get anywhere, or that I should say anything. Jesus, it didn’t matter what his disposition was, You had been after him. Someone had been praying for his salvation. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I was able to tell him about You. He heard and gave his life to You, repenting of his ways. He is Yours now — joy!”