Series 9- MY FAVORITE (N.T.) VERSE

“And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.”~(Matthew 17:8)

I was a young evangelist, just starting out, with my wife Salle Jo and our firstborn son, Andrew. God was mightily blessing our meetings; in small country churches twenty or so young couples were being saved and added to the church. We were being written up in religious periodicals in a very favorable way. It was more than I could ever have dreamed of considering the background I had come out of.

Then, for no apparent reason, the meetings began to dwindle until I had no bookings at all. We lived in an upstairs apartment over my in-laws. Had it not been for them and some other family members of my wife’s, I never could have made it. It was difficult to get work, for an evangelist must be on call at the pastor's choosing. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into about three months, as I recall.

Night and day I walked the floor, praying, seeking the answer; but none came. My wife and I went over the situation so many times we were exhausted from just the talking. Then one day, while lying across the bed and looking out the window, with Salle sitting nearby in a chair, the answer came. It came from my wise "Abigail," that is from my dear wife.

I had just mentioned to her I didn’t know what I was going to do because I loved preaching more than anything. Then from the lips of the wise came these words, “That is your problem; you love preaching more than you love Jesus!” No more needed to be said. As the old saying goes, “She hit the nail on the head.” From then on I knew it was strictly between the Lord and me.

That night in our front room while my wife and son were fast asleep, I settled it once and for all, forever, if you please. It was three in the morning and I had just read a sermon by Watchman Nee on The Goal of the Gospel. In it he showed that Christ and Christ alone is the summation of all things. I knelt by the couch and poured my heart out to God asking His forgiveness.  

As I was praying a Scripture came to mind, I didn’t know what it said, just the chapter and verse: Matthew 17:8. The two words that stuck out were, “JESUS ONLY.”  And so it has been now for over sixty-five years. It is the two words that will be placed on my tombstone! It is my favorite verse.

by an Old Disciple

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