The great man had arrived, and there were banners and cheers of welcome in Carmen’s town in Chile.
Her school was let out so that the children could line the streets to see him. It was a wonderful sight as he drove slowly by, with marching bands before and behind his long, black, shiny car. Everyone stood on tiptoe for a better view.
Then the school-children went back to class, and the teacher told them to write an assignment about the great man whom they had just seen.
Carmen remembered that God has said, “Honor all men” (1 Peter 2:1717Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17)), and she wrote carefully about this great, important man, but her heart was also thinking of the One who is truly far more important and “higher than the kings of the earth.” Psalms 89:2727Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. (Psalm 89:27). She wrote faithfully about the Lord Jesus and of what He has done for sinners. At the end of her assignment she wrote, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23).
After school the teacher called her to her desk and asked her to explain what she meant by those words about all having come short of the glory of God. This was a hard question for a 12-year-old girl to answer, but she tells it this way —
“And since I had my Bible with me, for I always take it to school, I showed her what it said.” The teacher asked to see the Bible and said she had never had one in her hand before.
“Would you like me to leave it with you?” asked Carmen. The teacher gladly agreed, so Carmen marked some verses that might help her. The teacher was delighted. She often chatted with Carmen about her faith in Christ, and soon had a Bible of her own.
What do you think of that story, girls and boys? Is it worth speaking for Christ, even if you do not know how it will be received? Sometimes it is not received gladly, but it is still worthwhile.
Perhaps I could tell you one more story of a man named Julian, who was a short, little man with a big pack of Bibles on his back. These were often gladly received, but not always. Some enemies of Christ finally caught him and threw him into prison for passing out Bibles.
“Why do you do this?” asked his guards. “You know it will get you into trouble.”
His brave answer was this, “For the joy of bringing bread to the hungry and water to the perishing.”
Julian was sentenced to death for spreading the Word of God. Is it worthwhile, boys and girls? The Lord Jesus loved us and thought that we were worth dying for even when we were His enemies, and He is worth more than 10,000 of us! In heaven we will worship and praise Him. Why not start now?
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.” Revelation 5:1212Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. (Revelation 5:12).
ML-02/05/1989