Robert
Irving
My Name is Robert Irving. I was Born on 25th January 1940. At
the age of 19 yrs with no real thought of God or eternity two of my
friends were killed in a motorbike accident outside Stranraer. For
the first time I thought if that had been me where would I be, heaven or
hell? I had heard enough as a young boy at the Gospel Sunday
school to know were these two places were.
The fear of death got hold of me and I started going to a local church.
Sad to say all I heard was, ' we are all Gods children, do the best you
can and everything will be alright' ! So for the next four years
with this fear of death I had within me (no-one knew of this) I took to
the drink.
I kept a good job in the local Butchers, but I was secretly drinking
more and more and the life I was living was taking me deeper
and deeper into sin and the road to self destruction.
Then one of my closest friends who I had not seen for a month or so came
to visit me and told me he had become a Christian. I just thought
he had become Religious and that it was not for me. He kept
visiting and told me I had to be saved, I didn't understand what he
meant, so I would try and up arguments against the bible and what it
said. This went on for a few weeks then he said, "this is the last
time I will speak to you about Gods Salvation because I like you as a
friend but the Lord is more important than our friendship. Unknown
to him I had decided that if he came to speak to me that day I would
listen to him.
Remember no-one knew I had a fear of Death.
We walked through the town up to the hill overlooking Stranraer
(the Gallow Hill). He was telling me God loved me and His
son Jesus Christ died for me, but it wasn't getting
through to me. Then he said " If you were dying of some illness
and I said I knew a man with a cure for that illness what would you say
to him"?
So he said " o you get cured of that illness, you go down the
town and get knocked down and killed by a car".
So I said "what are you trying to tell me"?
He replied "It would be wonderful if we could get a cure for all
illness's but what we really need is a cure for Death".
I replied back "that would be something".
"That's what I'm trying to tell you" My friend said, "Christ
died and rose again that you might live forever". (Romans
8 v 31-34)He is alive... The truth dawned on my soul .. Christ shed
His blood for my sins so that I could be saved!
My argument when I was drinking was if there is a God why does He need
ministers or priests or some religious leader to tell me why doesn't He
speak to me directly? And here was God speaking to me. My friend was
preaching away but I was listening, God was speaking to me. Without a
word from my lips but a crying from my heart said "
Lord, I know you are alive will you please come into my life"?
And He did. I didn't see a bright light like Paul, I didn't
hear any Angelic choir but He touched me deep in my soul. I was indwelt
and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
As the Hymn writer says:
Something
happened and now I know
He touched me
and made me whole.
I know it's not everyone who remembers the time or date
they were Born Again, one of the Godliest men I knew lived until he was
93 years old and he said "I don't remember the month or the day I
trusted the Lord but it was The spring of on the year of my eleventh
birthday". 82 years knowing the Lord in his Life.
I was saved on the 17th March 1963,1140am, and for the past 44 years
I have been happy telling people that if He can save a sinner
like me, He can save you.
If you are reading this and have never trusted the Saviour here
is a word for you..
He that cometh to me I will
in no way cast out. John 6 v37
May The seeking sinner meet
the seeking saviour and the
Angels in Heaven will rejoice (see
Luke chapter 15.)
Robert Irving