T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1939
62
your Saviour, His precious blood that He shed for you when He died on the cross washed your sin away. And now you are really His child and so have a heavenly Father, a loving Saviour, and a dean heart. And you are on your way to the Home we call heaven, which is better than the best ‘Happy Home’ on earth can ever be.” Long after Tommy had fallen asleep in his white bed that precious first night of the New Year and of his new life as God’s child, Aunt Fanny stood at the window looking over the roofs of the great city, first with tears of joy that the wandering lamb had come into the fold, and then with tears of sorrow that in the great city so many girls and boys and men and women wandered in the desert of sin and did not listen to or even know the loving invitation that is always being sounded forth through the death of His dear Son to begin a New Year with God. In our memory work for last month, we learned that a child of God is commanded to “grow” in the Christian life, and that the Word of God is the "food” by which he grows. The Word is described not only as "milk” (1 Pet. 2:2) (see January K ing ’ s B usiness ) , and “strong meat” (Heb. 5:14), but also by many other names which are listed below. Locate these verses in your Bibles and memorize: 1. Lamp . . . . . Psalm 119:105 2. Light . . . . . Psalm 119:105 3. Mirror 4. Sword . . . . . Ephesians 6:17 5. Honey . . . 6. Seed . . . 7. Gold . . . . . . Psalm 119:72 8. Hammer . . Jeremiah 23:29 9. Fire . . . . *Foc a complete list o f scriptures for memory work in the Christian L ife Series, see previous copies o f T he K ing ' s B usiness . Reports on Christmas Acrostic The following sent in answers to the Christmas Acrostic published in the De cember, 1938, issue of T he J unior K ing ’ s B usiness , and are being honored by special mention this month: Mary Collignon, Bloomington, Calif.; Gene Dalaba, Ed- wardsville, Kans.; Helen L. Fry, Cutler, 111.; Paul Kirk, Linden, Calif.; Irene Tormohlen, Huntington Park, Calif., and Stanley R. Yohe, Glen Ellyn, 111. New K. Y . B. C. Members The list of new members of the Know Your Bible Club appears on page 87. How to Join the K. Y . B. Club To become a member of the Know Your Bible Club, read through the Gospel according to John, using either your own Bible or a Gospel of John which will be sent upon request. When the Gospel has been read, and a statement to this effect, signed by parent or Sunday-school teacher, has been sent to the Editor of the Junior King’s Business, a K. Y . B. C. pin will be mailed. Sunday-school classes or chibs desiring to order ten or more Gos pels or pins may wish to share the cost of these supplies, as the Lord directs: Gospels, postpaid, five cents each— in quantity, three cents; pins, without postage, two cents each. However, no one is to do without a Gospel or pin because of lack of money. Address: Junior King’s Business, 538 South Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif. Memory Work for February C hristian L ife S eries *
he did almost twist his old cap to rags while he got out the words) that he, Tommy, was "whosoever” and he did want to come in to stay—and—why, right away he was in and belonging to Uncle Ed and Aunt Fanny as if he had always belonged! The next evening, New Year’s night, Tommy couldn’t quite bear to go upstairs when the others did, though Paul was beck oning him from the top. What miracles one day had brought, or perhaps it was that white bed that changed him overnight from a lonely, homeless wanderer to waken to Paul’s shout of welcome and find himself belonging to the Happy Family—from Uncle Ed to white-faced Paul who claimed him as his chum. He stood before the Are, looking up at the Good Shepherd carrying His little lamb. Pointing, he said to Aunt Fanny, "That lamb feels like me. He come to the Good Shepherd cuz he was lonesome and cold.” “Yes,” said Aunt Fanny, "but the Good Shepherd was out looking for him and lov ing him and wanting him.” The boy gave her a surprised, questioning look that she understood. "Yes, we were wanting you. Tommy. Out of all the boys in the city, we had chosen you for the empty place.” The look of joy that came into the boy’s face brought a lump in her throat, and she went on with a little catch in her voice, “But you see, Tommy, belonging to God’s fam ily is even more wonderful than belonging in Happy Home. I am sure that H e chose you before He made this world; you were chosen in Him—in Christ before the foun dation of the world. Just as we chose you but waited for you to choose us, so He waits for you to come to Him. Would you like to answer His loving choice of you tonight?” Tommy’s eyes shone. "I sure would,” he said. They knelt together by the fire, and Tommy thanked God for choosing him, and he accepted Jesus, the Good Shepherd, as his Saviour. As they rose from their knees, Tommy forgot his shyness and gave the motherly little lady a hug of delight. "Now I ’blong to you ferever, don’t I? To God and you. I guess I answered your invitation cuz all the time God was a choosin’ me. Doesn’t He ’nvite every body?” “Yes, Tommy,” Aunt Fanny said ear nestly, "He does invite everybody. The words on the door are His invitation, ‘Whosoever will may come,’ but when we- accept His invitation and come in we find on the other side of God’s door that we are ‘chosen . . . in him before the foundation of the world.’ And ‘if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ Things are new for you, outside and in side too, aren't they?” ‘T il say!” exclaimed the small boy. He looked proudly down at his new suit; and then, looking gravely into the sweet face above him, he rubbed his chest and added, “I feel differ’nt in here, some way.” “Yes,” said Aunt Fanny, “you are dif ferent. There was sin there before, wasn’t there?" Tommy nodded emphatically. "But when you took the Lord Jesus as
that hung over the fire—the Good Shep herd who loved and died for boys like himself—and then those last words of the Smiling Lady, “This Home is for boys like you, Tommy. I wish you would come to live with us." He had gazed dumbly into her kind eyes, hardly able to mumble, "Thanks.” And now it was all over! The rosy-cheeked apple he ate as he walked proved it was no dream—but it was over. Back at the shed, Tommy sighed as he pulled the old quilt around his ears. It wasn’t so easy to go to sleep tonight. The prayers of fered in Happy Home that the new boy would want to come were being answered. The Christmas season came and went. It was both a happier and sadder time than any other Tommy could remember, hap pier because the Big Man was a regular customer and there was always his kind ness to look forward to; and then—deli cious thrill—each night as soon as his pa pers were sold, he darted through the surg ing holiday crowds to the quiet of Stone- hurst Street, and like a shadow -slipped through the gate and up the steps to hide behind a convenient post and watch, through a window where the curtain was always open a little, the glorious fun that went on within. And after the children trooped out of sight upstairs, he would read and read again those strange words— “Knock, and it shall be opened . . . who soever will may come.” Then there was the crowning joy on Christmas Eve when the Smiling Lady passed his corner, paus ing long enough to greet him and slip a neat little package under his arm. In that package were socks (his half-frozen toes fairly tingled with pleasure) and candy and cake. Yet the days went by, and Tommy’s face was sad that bitter New Year’s Eve. The cake and candy went so fast, the Big Man always disappeared in the crowds, and the girls and boys vanished up the broad stairway. Yes, the last night of the old year Was a sad night, for he was always outside. Slowly his tired feet climbed the stone steps. He was later tonight; the jolly New Year's Eve crowds had not been interested in papers. He watched the children go, singing tonight, up the broad stairs. The Smiling Lady stood at the foot of the steps and said good-night to every one. Some thing blurred his sight for a minute, and when it was gone he found himself looking at the writing on the door, “ W hosoever will may come.” It seemed to call to him. Early that evening when the Big Man had stopped at his corner for a little chat, Tommy had worked up the courage to ask, “Please, Sir, what does ‘whosoever’ mean?” A smile like sunshine flashed over the man’s face, “Why, Lad, that means you — or me, or anybody.” Now as Tommy stood at the window, a resolve was forming in his mind; he would do it—hadn’t she said she wished he would? His hand crept to the bell. Almost he turned and ran when he heard it ring, but the door opened suddenly, almost as though some one had been waiting. And the Big Man’s smile was so friendly, just as if he had been expecting him, that it wasn’t really very hard to- say (though
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