A young man who often listened to a great Scottish preacher wanted to be saved. He had a longing in His heart to know Christ as his deliverer and to know the blessedness of God's salvation. Although he wept and prayed and sought for weeks, he could get no sense of forgiveness, no assurance that he was received by God.

One night the evangelist preached on those words, "I AM the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9). He showed that "any man" included poor sinners, no matter how wicked, how corrupt they were. As he preached, he could see the cloud lift from this young man's face.

At the close of the meeting, the young man said to the preacher, "I got in at the open door tonight."

"I am glad to hear it. But why did you not get in before?"

"Well," said the young man, "I had been at the wrong door all that time. I went to the saints' door and I found it locked against me. I thought I had to become good enough for God to save me, to let me in. But tonight I came as a sinner and found the sinner's door wide open."

—H.A. Ironside