A great many years ago, the busy countries of Canada and the United States were almost unknown. If you had taken a boat from Europe, you would have found, instead of big cities like New York and Montreal, huge forests, and roaming bands of Indians.
Not long after these lands were discovered by white men, some brave Christians came over with a desire to tell the Red Indians of North America about the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn’t it a wonderful thing, that the same precious Saviour is ready and willing to save folks from every land under the sun? We sometimes sing in Sunday School,
“Jesus loves the little children.
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
Most of these wild Indians didn’t like to see the white men coming to their land, for they wanted to roam freely wherever they wished, and so they often fought and killed any who were found on their property.
But these Christians were fearless men, and they studied hard to learn the Indian language so that they might tell them of the Saviour. One day, a great crowd of Indians met together in the forest to hear, for the first time, the story that the white preacher had to tell.
You have heard that story so often that it perhaps means very little to you. But I want you to picture the meeting watch with me while the story is told. First the preacher tells them of placed on this earth, and then how it was all spoiled by sin. But God loved men, even though they were sinful, and so He sent His only Son to come down into the world to be their Saviour. How surprised the Indians were to hear of such love, and even more surprised when they were told that sinful men didn’t want the Saviour, but beat Him and spit upon Him, and nailed Him to a cross where He died. But the part of the story that was so wonderful was this. While God’s only Son was hanging on the cross, God looked down and laid our wicked sins upon Him and then punished Him instead of us. Then God raised Him from the dead.
“Now,” said the missionary, “if anyone will accept this Saviour, the Lord Jesus, God will forgive him all his sins and take him to heaven to be with Him forever.”
Just at this moment, a tall, fierce chief rose and came forward. Reverently he laid his tomahawk down at the feet of the preacher, saying as he did so, “Indian chief gives his tomahawk to Jesus.”
Still the preacher went on with the story, and presently the same Indian came forward again, and quietly laid his beautiful blanket beside his tomahawk.
“Indian chief gives his blanket to the Lord Jesus.”
The preacher came near to the end of the message and told them that Jesus the Saviour was waiting to save any who would come to Him just as they were.
Silently and with bowed head, the Indian walked slowly forward. Then with tears streaming down his bronze face he said, “Indian gives himself to the Lord Jesus. Will Jesus have him?”
My dear young reader, the story of Jesus is not new to you. You have often heard of His wondrous birth, and of His shameful death. Perhaps you, like the chief, have thought that Jesus wanted you to give Him something. Perhaps you thought He might take you to heaven if you did a lot of good deeds. But I want you to know that Jesus died in save you and He wants you, and He wants you now.
ML 04/12/1953