J U N IO R K IN G 'S BU S IN E S S
A New Year's Investment
by Martha S. Hooker
I T WAS THE first Sunday in the New Year. Miss Anne was hurry ing to Sunday school with joy and anticipation. She was determined to win the boys of her Sunday school class to the Lord Jesus. That was her one big New Year’s resolution and prayer. The faces of her junior boys had been constantly before her as she prayed and prepared her Sun day school lesson. True, she had taught this class
“ Boys,” she began, “ suppose I should give each of you this first Sunday in the New Year, a check for the amount of $365.00. Your fathers would advise you to invest it, that is, to put it in a place that would be safe while your money earned more money for you.” The boys were star tled to hear a statement like this. “ But instead at the beginning of the New Year, God has placed in the hands of each of you, should you
this earth, and then He died upon the cross of Calvary for the sins of all of us. When you accept Him as your own personal Saviour, you have indeed found that safe place. “Now let us read John 1:12: ‘But as many as received [that is, took] him, to them gave he power to be come the sons of God.’ If you truly receive Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be sure of spending these 365 days in a way that will bring in the largest returns. Will you not take Him as your Saviour today at the beginning of this New Year?” With scarcely a moment’s hesita tion, first one and then another of the junior boys said, “ I will.” How Miss Anne’s heart sang for joy as she bowed in prayer, committing each boy to his new-found Saviour] Following prayer, Miss Anne said, “ Now I know that you boys will want to invest the days and hours and minutes of this New Year in a way that will most please Him. There is a verse in the Bible which says we should be redeeming — buying up__ the time, ‘for the days are evil.’ We must ‘buy up’ the time for the Lord Jesus. How shall we do this, boys?” “ By telling others about Him, by inviting other boys to Sunday school, by being kind,” the boys suggested as the bell for dismissal rang. After a short and heartfelt prayer, and with a happy smile, Miss Anne sent them away. God had answered her New Year’s prayer sooner than she had expected. BIBLE AR ITHMET IC Add to the number of disciples the number of books in the New Testament. Subtract the number of the chapter in M ark's Gospel that tells of the Transfiguration. Divide the re sult by the number of persons in the Trinity. Add to this answer the num ber of loaves of bread given by the little lad to the Lord Jesus. The an swer will be the number of a verse in Second Timothy that will be a splendid New Year's motto for 1965
A SEARCH IN THE WORD FOR NEW THINGS When you have unscrambled the following letters, you will have a list of some of the "N e w " things found in the Word of God. Match these "N e w " things with the list of references and you will be able to locate these "n ew " things in the Bible.
l . S e e + r i m + c 2. J a m + s e e - f r u h
.......... Deut. 22:8 .......... John 19:41 .......... Rgy 21:1 .......... Matt. 27:60 .......... || Cor. 5:17 .......... John 13:34 .......... Psa 40:3 .......... Isa 43:19 .......... Ezek. 18:31 .......... Rev. 2:17 .......... Rev. 21:2 ......Lam. 3:23
3. e v e n - f a h 4. m i + a n 5. o - f h e - f u s
6. p e e l + h e + r u s 7. t e n + m a n + c o n + m m
8. b + m o + t
9. R a t + c u e + e r
10. ru g + s o 11. a.r t + h e 12. t i n + g h
for two years, but never had she asked the boys to accept the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. Her great desire and new determination to win them to Christ had come as a result of a message that Dr. Towner, her pastor, had given on New Year’s Eve. As he spoke, Miss Anne real ized with a start that she had never led a single person to her Saviour. “With His help, I will win at least one soul for Him this year,” she had said in her heart. Then she remem bered her Sunday school boys. “ Oh let me win them every one for Thee,” she fervently prayed. Miss Anne found her junior boys in their places as usual. But the boys soon discovered that their teacher was somehow different that Sunday morning, and they watched her.
live throughout the year, something of more value than $365.00. That treasure is 365 days. Those 365 days contain 8,760 hours or 525,600 min utes. Boys, how will you invest these precious days and hours and minutes so that at the end of the year your investment will result in gain for you? “ First, you must find a ‘safe place’ in which to place your gifts — and that safe place is the Lord Jesus. Open your Bible to II Timothy 1:12 and let us read together: ‘I know whom I have believed, and am per suaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed [trusted] unto him against that day.' “ The Lord Jesus came into this world as a baby, born in a manger. He lived for thirty-three years upon
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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