My Dear Children,
It has been more than 54 years now since the Lord found this poor lost sinner on the troopship, General A.E. Anderson. In the flyleaf of my Bible I carry a picture of it as it sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. This week I was invited to an “Andy” reunion in San Antonio in September. I had located some of the crew through my VFW magazine. I was one of more than 4,000 Marines aboard returning to the U.S. in 1954. I got in touch with some of the crew but was never able to locate the Marine who led me to the Lord. His name was “Jerry” and he was from Minnesota, but that is all I know.
My “first love” (Rev. 2:4) took over and I told everyone I knew, or met, about the peace I felt in knowing my sins were forgiven. From Treasure Island where we landed, I told my fellow Marines on the train going east to Quantico, Virginia. I witnessed to my Mormon buddy until he got off in Salt Lake City. Then when I arrived home in Pennsylvania, I told my Dad, Mom, and family. I witnessed to my relatives, high school friends, and prior to leaving my church I made sure the preacher, deacons, relatives, and other members had heard my testimony. I wasn’t always wise in the way I did it, and I know some were offended. I said some things I regret to this day. I could not imagine anyone not wanting what I had found, and when things were said I didn’t like, I replied in kind. I’d like to go back and do some things differently. I hurt some whom I loved dearly. Today as I was reading Letters of John Newton I came across this word of comfort.
I believe the over doings of a young convert, proceeding from an honest simplicity of heart, and a desire of pleasing the Lord, are more acceptable in His sight than a certain coolness of conduct, which frequently takes place afterward, when we are apt to look back with pity upon our former weakness, and secretly to applaud ourselves for our present greater attainments in knowledge, though perhaps (alas, that it should ever be so!) we may have lost as much in warmth as we have gained in light.
In Revelation 2:2-4, we find the Lord knew of the labor, patience, and separated stand of the Church at Ephesus. How “for His name sake” they had labored, and not fainted (even to the point of exhaustion is the meaning), and yet we find they were in danger of being rejected because they had left their “first love.”
The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen
DAD
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