A PRISON Chaplain offered to give a New Testament to one of the inmates but the man refused, saying: 'I must be honest Sir and tell you that I'd only roll tobacco in each page and make cigarettes.'
The Chaplain was taken aback but he shot up a quick prayer for guidance and replied: 'Yes, I'll give you this New Testament on the condition you read both sides of each page before you tear it out.'
The man agreed and took the good book.
Years later a man approached the Chaplain after he'd been preaching in a church.
'Do you remember me, Sir? You offered me a New Testament but I told you I would roll cigarettes with the pages.'
The Chaplain replied: 'Yes I do remember, and you promised to read each page before you smoked it and I went away praying that God would speak to you through His Word.' 'Well,' said the man, 'I smoked my way through Matthew, Mark and Luke but when I got to John's gospel, chapter 3 and verse 16, it broke my heart to think that Jesus died for me.
'I asked Him for forgiveness and now I have a happy church-going family and I don't need to smoke anymore.'
In 1825 a young man aged 20 surrendered his life to Christ and lost his love of smoking.
In 1879 he wrote: 'Smoking is an evil habit, it is very injurious to health, as all disinterested physicians who do not themselves indulge in it, will fully allow.
'A robust constitution may for a good while resist its pernicious effects, but sooner or later, these effects will be manifested.'
These words were written by George Muller, who founded a famous orphanage in Bristol.
He never retired but worked until the day he died, aged 92.
