A SUNDAY-SCHOOL teacher wished to show his class how free the gift of God is. He took a silver watch from his pocket, and offered it to the eldest boy in the class.
“It’s yours, if you will take it.”
The little fellow sat and grinned at the teacher. He thought he was joking. The teacher offered it to the next boy, and said:
“Take this watch: it is yours.”
The little fellow thought he would be laughed at if he held out his hand, and therefore he sat still. In the same way the teacher went nearly around the class; but not one of them would accept the proffered gift. At length he came to the smallest boy. When the watch was offered to the little fellow, he took it and put it into his pocket. All the class laughed at him.
“I am thankful, my boy,” said the teacher, “that you believe my word. The watch is yours. Take good care of it. Wind it up every night.” The rest of the class looked on in amazement; and one of them said,
“Teacher, you don’t mean that he hasn’t to give it back to you?”
“No,” said the teacher, “he hasn’t to give it back to me. It is his own now.”
“Oh—h—h! if only I had taken it!” were the exclamations of some of the class.
This little story will show you in a feeble way what a gift is. It is something given you for which you do not have to work, nor to pay.
Now God has given to man, the greatest gift that He could give. The apostle Paul had accepted this gift, for we hear him saying:
What is this great gift of God? Why, it is the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, the dearest object of His heart! He gave His life to save you, and nothing delights His heart more than to see a little boy or girl receive Him by faith as his or her own personal Saviour. God wants you to accept Him, so take Him as your own precious Saviour as simply as the little boy did the watch, and then thank God for Him, as the apostle Paul did. When the Philippian jailor became exercised about his soul, he cried out in distress,
“What must I do to be saved?” The simple answer was:
You know there are many dear children who think they must work to save their souls, but that is not God’s way.
Good works do have a place in Scripture, but we must not take them out of their proper place. It is after you have accepted God’s free gift and become a child of God, that you may work in every way to please Him. There are countless way of serving the Lord. Being obedient to your dear parents, speaking to your little playmates of Jesus, etc., etc.
I cannot work my soul to save,
For that my Lord has done;
But I will work like any slave
From love to God’s dear Son.
I would like to say to those who have not accepted God’s gift, to do so at once. You do not know how soon you may be called out of this world, and then it will be forever too late. You will say, like the little boy in our story, “If only I had taken it,” but it will then be too late. You will be banished from God’s presence forever to dwell in outer darkness where there shall be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 22:1313Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 22:13)).
ML 01/23/1927