Rosa ran across the street to a rough-looking man, who sat on the cold stones alone, dejected and miserable-looking. Raising her bright blue eyes, she looked into his face, and said,
“Poor man, I am sorry for you, can I do anything to help you?”
The child’s sweet voice fell strangely on the ear of that hardened sinner, so accustomed to loud, harsh words, but so seldom to words like Rosa’s. He looked upon the child, and said in dismal tones,
“I am without a home or a friend on earth, child.”
“God will be a Friend to you—He loves you,” said Rosa, softly.
The drunkard held out his trembling hand towards the child, and she bent down and kissed it. It was all that she could do, dear child, to speak a kind, loving word, and to couple with it a token of her love for the friendless, homeless man. But it was enough. That act of love reached his heart, and softened it. That word of Gospel grace reached his soul, and God owned it, and blessed it to his conversion.
Years passed on. A silvery-haired, patriarchal-looking man stood addressing the children of, a Sunday school one afternoon, and finished his discourse by telling he children to miss no opportunity of speaking a kind word, or doing a good deed, for, said he,
“It was a word spoken to me by a dear child, when I was friendless and homeless, that God used to save me.”
When the stranger had finished, and the children had gone, a lady walked up to the aged Christian, and, holding out her hand toward him, said,
“Sir, do you know me?” He looked at her for a moment, and then, clasping both her hands in his, while the tears flowed from the eyes of both, he said,
“Yes, it was the word spoken by you, when a child, that God used to bring me to Himself.”
How vast a work a saved child may do. A word spoken from a tender heart, filled with God’s compassion for sinners, will often reach the hardened heart. A kind act done for Jesus’ sake, may be the honored messenger of leading a soul to God. Saved children can do a great work for God and eternity.
Reader, are you saved? If so, what are you doing to bring sinners to the Saviour?
You cannot help others out of the mire until your own feet are on the Rock. You must be saved yourself, and on the way to glory, before you can lead others to Christ.
ML 09/11/1938