When the Door W as Opened What Happened I T’S GOING to be a grand party with plenty of good things to _eat— sandwiches, cookies, a n d maybe candy.: It’s going to be in a great'big room with a fire in thé fireplace, and there wiil be songs and, a story.” By ALVERTA N. DUNDAS their eye?, their ears, and with their minds. But he said that the Lord Jesus could forgive sin, and' Stood knocking at hearts’ doors, and if given an in vitation He would enter and live there.
“Marion and Jimmy understood the minister. Both of them knew they needed to have Jesus come into their hearts and take charge. They knew there was sin in their hearts that needed to be washed away., “ Jimmy felt ashamed when he re membered- how he had taken Marion’s best doll, twisting off its arm as.he threw it over his head, and how he had teased and laughed when Marion had cried, and had called her ‘Miss Touchy’ and ‘bawl-baby.’ “Marion remembered how angry she had been at Jimmy,, and how she had called him a ‘fat elephant’ and an ‘old scarecrow.’ j.'V-; “The minister finished his sermon by asking all those who wanted to make room in their hearts for the Lord Jesus to come to the front of the church, to kneel there and to ask for forgiveness for their sins, and then to open the door of their hearts to the Saviour. If they would do that, he said, they would become children of God. “Marion and Jimmy both wanted to go to the front with the older people; but no one gave them a personal in vitation, so they remained in their seats. “That night after she had gone to bed, Marion prayed. She asked Jesus to forgive all her sins. She told Him that she wanted to open the door of her heart, but that she did not know how, so if He would walk right in and make Himself at home, she would be thankful and would read her Bible and pray every day, to learn how to please her new Master. “The next day Jimmy edged close to Marion and whispered, ‘Last night on the way home from the meeting I opened the door of my heart to \Jesus. He came in. I asked Him to help me not to tease you and make you angry.’ “Marion smiled as she told him
Betty Craig said all' this excitedly as she and -her little brother hurried down the street toward the Shipler Community House. They were hungry, and they were thinly clethed. “How do you know the girl who told’ you all those nice things wasn’t fool ing?” asked Benny. “Nothing is ever right for us—not since Daddy died and Mother works and drinks so much of the time. We’re left alone, and we’re cold and hungry. Folks say mean things about us and make fun of us. I don’t want to go to the party. Nobody cares for us.” ‘ • “Come on,” urged Betty, as Benny pulled back. “Let’s try just this once.” She thought a moment. “Or,” she added, “we can go down by the river. Maybe some one will take us far away.” “Who would take us, and where would we go?” asked Benny. “ In stories, good people pass by riv ers, and when they see cold children, they do ever so many nice things for them. Sometimes they take them to a farm where the boys can ride horses.’’ “But maybe» such n i c e p e o p l e wouldn’t come by. Nothing nice ever ' happens to us. Didn’t you write to Grandma and Grandpa Craig about us? Didn’t you tell them that all we had to eat was hard bread and sour milk? They live on a farm. But they didn’t answer.” When Benny said that, he suddenly decided that after all, going to the party would be better than waiting for somebody on the river banfc—for somebody who might never come. , “Pll go with you to the party,” he said, “just this once, and if you prom ise to leave if any one. makes fun of us.” As they drevir near to the big Com munity House, they saw Miss Lucy near the entrance. She was smiling. She welcomed Betty and Benny heart ily, then took them inside the cheer-
ful room and seated them by the fire. Soon a happy group of children made the visitors, know they were among friends. They had a good lunch—ev erything that their friend had prom ised, and more. It was a real party. Betty whispered to Benny,'“Maybe everything will come out all right, after all. When we get home, per haps Mother will be there with sacks of good things like she used to bring. Grandma and Grandpa Craig may come. I left a note on the table to tell where we are.” After the children had eaten, Miss Lucy said, “All of you look as if you are ready for the story”—and she be- “Marion and Jimmy were neighbors. They liked each other, but when they played together there was always trouble. “One night their minister preached from the words, ‘Open the door for Jesus.’ He said that ‘all have sinned and eome short of the glory of God.’ He said that to sin is to disobey and disregard the wishes and the com mands of the heavenly Father. There are two masters, he said; one is God, and the other Satan, and there comes a time when every one must choose the one he is to serve here on earth and to live with after death. He ex plained how people could sin with their tongues, their hands, their feet,
Junior Kings Business By MARTHA S. HOOKER llember o f Faculty. Bible Institute of Los Angeles
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