“PAPER, sir? Daily News, Times? Papers,” cried the newsboy at the busy railroad station and the people handed over their coins to pay for the papers. Few folks took any notice of him as they were bent on reading the news. And the boy went quickly from one car to the next selling his papers as fast as he could.
“Paper, lady?” he said, little knowing that her ear had been attracted by the newsboy’s voice, and now she had the opportunity of seeing him. He was a handsome boy. His dark eyes and brown hair added an extra charm to his voice, but his hollow cheeks and sorrowful look in his eye told a tale of woe.
Taking a paper she asked, “What is your name, my boy?”
“Johnnie, ma’am,” he said.
“Can you read?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’ve been to school a little.”
“Johnnie, I had a little brother once. His name was Johnnie, too, and he had brown hair like you.”
The engineer blew the whistle on the locomotive; in a moment the train would start, but there was something that drew the lady’s sympathy out toward the boy and she longed to give him something. She had no time to hesitate; from her purse she took a beautiful little New Testament and handed it to Johnnie.
“You’ll read it?”
“I will, lady, I will.”
In a moment, Johnnie swung off the train as it started to move. The Christian lady, homeward bound on the train, silently prayed to God asking that He would use the little Testament to bring blessing into the home of the newsboy.
Some weeks later she returned to the city, coming in on the train to that same station. As the train rolled to a stop she peered out the window and there on the platform was Johnnie. But how different he looked cleaner, healthier, his eyes brighter and his voice even happier than before. As she alighted from the car, Johnnie recognized her and hurrying up to her said, “I have wanted to see you, lady, to tell you about that little book.”
“Well, my boy, what has it done?”
“When you gave it to me, I took it home and my father looked at it and read it. He was out of work and so he had time to read. Mother read it too, and I noticed she cried. When I saw both my parents so sad over reading the book I thought it must be a very bad one and I wished you had not given it to me. But it’s all right now. Father has stopped drinking and swearing and mother is so kind. And I am to go back to school. All this has happened because of the little book.”
The Christian lady silently prayed again but this time it was in praise to God for what He had done through a little Testament.
Read your Bible daily and heed it as the voice of God speaking to His creatures. God loves you however much you may have sinned against Him. He waits to forgive you. In the Bible God tells how He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for sinners. Now all who will confess Him as their Saviour and Lord will be eternally saved.
“The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Rom. 10:8, 98But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:8‑9).
ML-11/25/1962