“Send Me The Book”
Good News – November 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine
“Send Me The Book”
When W. P. Mackay left home for college, his mother gave him a Bible. On the inside cover she wrote his name, her name, and a Bible verse. She also said she would pray for him.
He graduated with honors from medical school and quickly advanced to become head of the largest hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland. But as he grew more successful, he also became more sinful in his lifestyle. He even became president of an atheistic society, a society that did not believe that God exists.
The Man’s Book
One day a badly injured man was rushed to the emergency room. As Dr. Mackay examined the hopelessly crushed body, he was amazed by how peaceful the man was.
The dying man asked, “What’s my condition? I want the truth. I’m not afraid to die. I’ve trusted Jesus as my Savior. He paid for my sins on the cross. I know I’ll be with Jesus when I die.”
“You have only a few hours to live,” said the doctor. He was surprised that this did not change the dying man’s attitude. “Is there anyone we can contact?”
“Yes,” said the man. “Contact my landlady and ask her to send me the book.”
“What book?” inquired the doctor.
“Just ask her for the book. She will know.” The doctor did as the man asked, and then continued his rounds. But these words stuck in his mind: “I know I’ll be with Jesus when I die.”
A few hours later, Dr. Mackay returned to check on the man’s condition. “He died a few minutes ago,” the nurse replied.
“Did he get his book in time?”
“Just before he died.”
“Was it his bank book?” asked the doctor.
“See for yourself. It’s under his pillow.”
Mackay’s Surprise
Dr. Mackay reached under the pillow and found a Bible. To his amazement, it was his Bible – the one his mother had given him years ago! He had sold it for money to buy liquor.
The doctor was overwhelmed. He rushed to his office and asked God to forgive him for his sinful life. As he prayed, he remembered a verse his mother taught him long ago: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, the whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16 NKJV). He discovered that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).
Dr. Mackay immediately contacted his mother to tell her how he was saved, and how God used the Bible she gave him to answer her prayers. Over time, Mackay’s life proved that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). The worldly, atheistic doctor became a preacher of the gospel!
Your Opportunity
God wants to save you just as He did Dr. Mackay. He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Don’t suffer in hell for your sins, when Jesus Christ has already taken your punishment. Trust Him and you too will be able to say, “I know I’ll be with Jesus when I die.” We can tell you how.
This article is available as a gospel tract from Grace &Truth.