Writing the President for Blood
Unknown Author
Table of Contents
The Barometer’s Warning
The fishing fleet was ready to leave port and go out to sea, but just before they left, the fishermen checked the barometer. They were amazed to see that during the night the indicator had dropped from “fair” to “stormy.” Looking out over the water they could see no sign of a storm; the sky was clear and sunny and the sea was calm, so it wasn’t even windy. The only possible warning of trouble to come came from the barometer.
The men didn’t know what to do. They did not want to lose a day’s fishing with the weather so good, so they decided that something must have gone wrong with the barometer, causing it to give a wrong reading. Only one captain believed the barometer’s reading. Every boat but one went out to sea.
Everything went well for awhile. The boats arrived in good time at their fishing grounds and let down their nets.
Rather quickly the sky clouded over and the wind began to howl. Soon a fierce storm hit, and the men were frightened. The barometer was right after all! Leaving their nets behind, they headed back to the safe harbor, but some of them never made it. The storm became so violent that several of the boats sank and their crews drowned . . . all because they refused to believe the barometer’s warning.
God has given us warnings too. “God . . . now commandeth all men every where to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world” (Acts 17:30-31). “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
What are you doing about God’s warnings? Are you believing and acting on them? Or are you ignoring God’s warnings? The fishermen ignored the warning and died. Do not refuse to believe God’s warnings, but accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour today.
The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7)
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
(Luke 15:1-7)
Fill in the Verse
Try to fill in the missing letters and complete this Bible verse from Genesis 16.
T
T O G D E S
M
Books of the New Testament Word Search
This word search uses the names of the books of the New Testament. See how many of the words listed below you can find among the letters. Look up, down, diagonally, backwards, across — every direction.
ACTS JOHN PHILEMON
COLOSSIANS JOHN PHILIPPIANS
CORINTHIANS JUDE REVELATION
EPHESIANS LUKE ROMANS
GALATIANS MARK THESSALONIANS
HEBREWS MATTHEW TIMOTHY
JAMES PETER TITUS
J E P H E S I A N S J B M T
U A S R E V E L A T I O N H
D S M N U B U S P J O H N E
E G N E A W R B H S O G O S
G O W A S I G E N J T T M S
A S R S I M P A W A E J E A
L R E W L H M P S S T K L L
A C T S E O T B I U U G I O
T V E N R H O N K L T E H N
I T P M I H T W I R I I P I
A I V X I W N T X R A H T A
N K D H C X K F A B O M P N
S Y H T O M I T M M E C V S
V I Y C O L O S S I A N S N
Writing the President for Blood
Carol Ann Miller, a twelve-year-old girl in Oxon Hill, Maryland, had a heart ailment which required specialized, dangerous surgery. A rare type of blood — B-negative — was needed for transfusion before the surgeons would attempt the operation.
I’ll write to President Eisenhower, and ask him to help me get the needed blood, thought Carol Ann. So she wrote:
“My Dear President:
The surgeons want to close up a hole in my heart. If you know anyone who has B-negative blood, please call my mother. It is very important!
The girl’s plea deeply touched the president. Immediately he had the Red Cross contacted, and also the doctors in Walter Reed Hospital. Soon twenty pints of the required blood were made available to Carol Ann’s surgeons.
In a similar way, today the blood of Jesus is available to wash our sins away. We are all born with the disease of sin. But there is a remedy! “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
The Mouse and the Ring
As Mrs. Van-Arnem got ready for bed, she took off her watch, her brooch and her three rings. Then she carefully laid them all on the dresser.
During the night the house was quiet, and no one went into Mrs. VanArnem’s bedroom. Still, when she got up the next morning and went to put on her jewelry, one of the rings had disappeared. The watch, the brooch and two of the rings were exactly where she had left them, but her valuable diamond ring was gone!
Mrs. VanArnem called her children and her servants together and told them about the missing ring. They searched all over the house. Every possible hiding place was examined carefully, but no one found the ring.
Three years later workmen came to do some repair work on Mrs. VanArnem’s house. Part of the floor was taken up, and there under the floorboards lay the skeleton of a mouse with the beautiful diamond ring around its neck. The poor little mouse must have been nosing around on top of Mrs. VanArnem’s dresser, looking for something to eat and must have accidently stuck its head through her ring.
Since the ring was so smooth and round, it probably didn’t hurt the mouse at first. But as the mouse grew and its neck got larger, the ring probably began to pinch and to hurt. The workmen who examined the mouse’s bones said its neck bones had been bent by the pressure of the ring which had finally strangled it.
That poor little mouse didn’t intend to get trapped. He was just curious about something pretty and got caught in it.
The same type of thing can easily happen to any of us too. Every time you sin it is as though a little wire is slipped around you. At first it doesn’t seem too bad, but those wires get tighter and tighter and stronger and stronger all the time. The Bible says that the sinner “shall be holden [held] with the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5:22).
How could the mouse have gotten free of the ring? No other mouse could have helped him, but some person could have slipped the ring off his head or could have cut through the ring to set him free.
No boy or girl can get free from his or her own sins either. Only the Lord Jesus, through His death on the cross and His blood shed, can remove the sins that have trapped each one of us. “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
The little mouse couldn’t ask for help, but you can. Won’t you call to the Lord Jesus today? He loves you and says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
The Dog Who Bluffed
There was that dog again, straining at his rope, jumping up and down, snarling and barking at our ponies who were feeding on the other side of the fence. “You think you’re pretty big and strong, don’t you?” I said to the dog one day as I went to get Lightfoot, my pony. But the dog just barked all the louder.
Then one day the gate was left open by mistake, and Lightfoot wandered out of the meadow into the yard next door. When I went over to get him, it was really funny to see how that dog was behaving. He was shaking and trembling as he tried to flatten himself against the back of the house. Lightfoot stood switching his tail and cocking his head from side to side as he inspected the cowering dog.
The snarling and barking were only a bluff. Now he was scared and wanted to hide.
Sometimes we act pretty big and brave, but things have a way of becoming bigger than we expected. What happens then? Do you have someone you can turn to for help, even when your father or mother isn’t around? Is there someone who is able to look after you no matter what happens? Only the Lord Jesus can do that. But is He your friend? Do you know Him well enough that you can trust Him?
Let me tell you something about the Lord Jesus. He loves you and cares about you so much that He died for you on Calvary’s cross. He knows all about your sins and wants to wash them away and make you clean. He wants to be your trustworthy Friend.
Will you let Him be your Friend? You only need to tell Him that you know you are a sinner and want Him to wash you clean from your sins. He will give you the faith to believe and trust Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Here is a little acrostic that will help you understand what faith means:
F orsaking
A ll others,
I will
T rust
H im.
Will you let Jesus be your special Friend who you can always count on? If you will, this verse can be your very own: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee”
Getting Laddie Back
Laddie was the most wonderful dog in the world. At least that is what Matt thought. To anyone else he might seem very ordinary, but since Matt’s birthday when his father had brought home the playful black and white puppy, Matt’s life was changed.
Matt and Laddie soon were almost inseparable. Even running errands for Mom was fun when Laddie came along. When Matt came home from school, Laddie was always at the gate to meet him. But one day, when Matt got home, his dog had vanished.
“Where’s Laddie?” he asked his Mom.
“He’s probably curled up in a corner sleeping somewhere,” she replied. “He’ll likely be back soon.”
By the time Matt’s dad got home from work, Laddie was still missing. “Where did you see him last?” he asked Matt.
“He followed me partway to school this morning,” said Matt. “Do you suppose he got lost and couldn’t find his way home?”
“We’ll go out and look for him after supper,” his father promised. But when bedtime came, Laddie still hadn’t been found. Long, lonesome days followed, and still no trace could be found of his dog.
“I’m afraid a car has run over him, son,” Dad said at last. “But don’t worry, we’ll get another puppy for you.”
“Another puppy?” Matt felt awful. There would never be another puppy like Laddie.
Several weeks later, Matt was delivering a message for his mother, when he heard a low whimper coming from the other side of a hedge. Peering through the gate, he saw Laddie straining at a rope tied to his collar. In an instant Matt was through the gate and fumbling at the knot that held Laddie prisoner.
“What are you doing to my dog?” angrily demanded a boy several years older and a lot bigger than Matt.
“But this is my puppy,” answered Matt. “I lost him a few weeks ago. How did you get him?”
“Your dog, is it?” scoffed the older boy. “Well, he’s mine now. Just try to get him.”
Matt felt like crying at the thought of leaving Laddie behind. Suddenly he had an idea. “Would you sell him to me?” he asked.
For a while the older boy considered. “How much will you give me?” he asked finally.
“Well, I’ve only got three dollars. But you can have it all.”
“Tell you what,” said the boy, “you give me the three dollars. Then I’ll untie the dog, and if he wants to go home with you, you can have him. If he wants to stay with me, he’s mine.”
Matt raced home. As he ran, fear gnawed at his heart. What if Laddie had forgotten him? What if he stayed with the older boy? Minutes later he was back with his wallet, placing all his money in the hands of the boy.
“OK, pup, it’s up to you,” said the boy, as the knot was untied. With one joyful bark, Laddie ran through the gate toward Matt, and together they ran home.
“You know, son,” said Dad, “that reminds me of what the Lord Jesus did for us. We were really His because He created us. But we were lost, just like your dog was, tied up by sin. But the Lord Jesus loved us so much that He came and paid the price to redeem us. It cost Him all that He had — He gave His life to buy us back. And now, all those whom He has purchased with His precious blood, He has set free to follow Him. They are His forever.”
Whenever Matt thinks of the time that Laddie was lost, he remembers that he himself was once a lost sinner, that he was bought with a great price, and that he now belongs to Jesus.
The Lord Jesus saw us in our sin, and came down here to redeem us from hell and from Satan. All who put their trust in Him as their Saviour will someday be in heaven, where they will sing, “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9). “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).