SOME children were playing together in a house one evening, when one of them said,
“Let us sing some hymns.” They all agreed to this but one little girl whose name was Ada. She wanted some other amusement, and wouldn’t sing. The others, not thinking it right to mind a little girl who was rather noted for always wanting to have her own way, began to sing a hymn. Ada remained silent.
“Ah!” said one present, who was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, “Ada doesn’t want to sing because she doesn’t love Jesus.”
Presently, while the others were singing all happily together, Ada began to cry. Supposing this was only temper, nobody heeded it until bedtime, and then, as she was still crying they began to tell her how naughty she was for being so stubborn. At first she made no reply, but as she did not stop, one of them asked,
“What can you be crying about now?” To the surprise of all her answer was, “Because I don’t love Jesus.”
This unexpected answer changed everything, and now instead of scolding, they told her that if she did not love Jesus, He loved her, and that as when on earth He took little children up in His arms and blessed them, so now He would surely receive her if she would simply trust in His love. Before she went to bed that night Ada was able to say that she loved Jesus because He first loved her.
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10.
“We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19.
ML 08/20/1933