Pig’s Food – Story 1
Rowland Hill (1744–1833), a popular, evangelical, English preacher, hit a low point in his ministry for a few months in the midst of his ministerial career. He was sorely disappointed with the lack of fruit in his ministry. One day he looked out of his study window and saw a pig farmer going to market. To Hill’s amazement, the pigs followed the farmer straight into the slaughter house. When he later saw the farmer emerge from the slaughter house without the pigs, Hill went out to meet him.
The minister said, “How did you get those pigs to follow you to their own death? I cannot get people to follow Christ to their eternal life.” The farmer replied, “Didn’t you see that as I walked along I had some pig feed in my pockets and that I just dropped a few crumbs every few steps as I walked? For a few crumbs of food they followed me to their death.”
Will you believe and follow Satan for a few crumbs of this world’s pleasures to your eternal death? Or will you believe in and follow to eternal life the Savior who said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35)?
Slave with Freedom – Story 2
A wealthy Englishman went to California in the 1850s to enrich himself during the gold rush. After much success, he left to go back to England. He stopped at New Orleans on the way home, and, as all tourists did at that time, visited the infamous slave trading block. As he approached the place where people were sold for cash, he saw a beautiful, young, African woman standing on the block. He overheard two men who were trying to outbid each other for the woman, talking about what they would do to her if they could buy her. To their surprise, the Englishman joined in the bidding by offering twice the price. The auctioneer was astonished. “No one has ever offered this much for a slave,” he said.
After purchasing her, the Englishman stepped forward to get her. When he helped her down to his level, she spat in his face. He wiped away the spit and led her to a building in another part of town. There she watched uncomprehendingly as he filled out forms. To her astonishment he handed her some manumission papers and said, “There, now you are a free woman.” She spat in his face again.
“Don’t you understand?” he asked, as he wiped her spit away again. “You are free! You are free!” She stared at him in disbelief a long while. Then she fell at his feet and wept—and wept some more. Finally, she looked up and asked, “Sir, is it really true that you paid more than anyone has ever paid to purchase me as a slave, only to set me free?”
“Yes,” he said, calmly. She wept some more. Finally, she spoke: “Sir, I have only one request. Can I be your slave forever?”
This illustrates vintage Puritan teaching: Come to Jesus Christ, for He will not cast out those who come to Him. He alone has purchased them with the price of His own blood. He alone can set them free from bondage to sin and death. He alone can lead them to eternal life. And in so doing, He makes them willing and ready to live unto Him, as His willing servants in this life and forever.
Reflection
Are you truly free from the bondage of this world? True freedom is being free from the chains of sin. Trusting God’s promises of freedom in Christ through the empowering of the Holy Spirit in overcoming and mortifying sin is what we ought to do.
Throw away your unbelief. According to Beeke and Jones, “Unbelief is the ‘mother sin’ of all sin, the root and receptacle of all sin. Unbelief is the belief of Satan’s lie. Unbelief is the ultimate reason for not coming to Christ. Unbelief makes us cling to the world rather than to Christ.”
Come to Christ. Cry for His mercy. Trust God.
Meditate on these verses.
“For the sake of your name, Lord,
Psalm 25:11
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.”
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36:26
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”
Ephesians 2:8
Pray
If you’re a believer, pray that God will shape your heart to believe that He has led you to Him by the Spirit and you are safe in Christ. Pray for strength to mortify sin daily.
If you’re an unbeliever, pray that God will make you realize your need for His mercy. Repent and believe. God’s invitation is for you. Christ sacrificed His life for the redemption of sinners, for God’s glory. Pray that the Holy Spirit will cultivate your heart towards Christ. Christ is your only hope.
Resource:
Bible, New International Version.
Beeke, Joel and Mark Jones. The Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life. Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Reformation Heritage Books, 2012. Chap. 32. Kindle.
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