JUNIOR KINGS BUSINESS
The Little Water Bugs
Author Unknown
I t was springtime and the low hill of Mr. Brown’s farm was green with its covering of velvety grass. Down at the foot of the hill lay an old pond with just enough water in it to be called a pond. It was slimy and green. Round about the pond, tall reeds grew, creating a fringe-like border. Down in the pond, far removed from the world, lived some little wa ter bugs. How these little water bugs longed to know what it was like in the great world above the green slimy pond! Every now and then a little water bug was seen climbing up on one of the tall reeds and dis- pearing. Not one ever came back to describe to the other little water bugs in water-bug language the wonders of the world above. One day Mr. Frog jumped into the pond with a great splash. “Oh, Mr. Frog!” cried the little water bugs, “do tell us what it is like in the world above!” From his great storehouse of wis dom, Mr. Frog boastingly spoke: “ Oh, the world above is wonderful! Why, there are trees and flowers and warm sunshine. Yes, it is very beau tiful indeed!” But the little water bugs could not understand what sunshine was like, nor did they know what such things as trees and flowers were. How could they? They had spent all their lives down there in the slimy dark pool at the foot of Mr. Brown’s hill. Then one day Mr. Snake invaded the home of the little water bugs. Again there was great excitement as the little water bugs gathered to ask him the question for which they longed to hear an answer. “Oh, Mr. Snake, what is it like in the world above?” Mr. Snake replied, “ In the world above? Why there are birds, and green grass, and lovely fresh air, and trees and flowers, and many other lovely things.” But the poor little water bugs could not understand any of these
things, and so they continued to long for an answer to their question. Now among the little water bugs there were two who seemed to belong to each other in a special way. Little Brother and Little Sister water bugs were talking one day when it seemed that this question could never be an swered in a way that little water bugs could understand. Little Broth er told Little Sister water bug that if he ever found himself climbing up one of the reeds to the world above the pond, he would surely come back to tell her what the great wonderful world was like. Little Sister made the same promise to Little Brother. Time passed by and one day Little Brother felt himself climbing right up one of the reeds. On and on he went and finally disappeared from the sight of Little Sister. Little Sis ter was sure that Little Brother would come back to describe the won ders of the world above, as he prom ised, but the days passed by and he never came back. Then one day Little Sister felt herself climbing one of the tall reeds. She just had to climb, it seemed. On and on she went, until finally she BIBLE A N IM A L S Rearrange the following jumbled wordt so they will spell the names of animals mentioned in the Bible. Match with the correct scripture listed In the right hand column. 1. sagot ........ Pt. 32:9 2. blam ........ S.S. 2:15 3. pehes ........ Isa. 11:6 4. soreh ........ Job .39:1 5. celtam ........ Gen. 24:63 6. tineoc ........ Prov. 30:30 7. nilo ........ Ex. 15:21 8. dorungeyh ........ Ex. 12:3 9. reha ........ Prov. 30:21 10. late ........ Lev. 11:6 11. giod ........ Ex. 22:31 12. fowl ........ Prov. 30:31 13. soxef ........ Mark 11:4 14. spea ........ Isa. 53:6 15. aredopl ........ 1 Ki. 10:22 16. elum ........ Jer. 23:13
was out of the Little Water Bug home entirely. Suddenly she felt a tug and a jerk and a pull. . . and sud denly an old grey bag-like skin fell right off her, and she realized that she had delicately tinted wings. She herself was now a beautiful dragon fly. As she spread her wings and flew about, she came to understand what trees and flowers were like, and green grass, and sunshine, and all the lovely things that belong to the great, wide, beautiful world. And over the little pond, green and slimy, fringed by the reeds, she saw another beautiful dragon fly wing ing over the water. Down, down he flew, until it seemed he would almost skim the surface of the little water bug home. As Little Sister watched him fly so near their old home, she realized that this must be Little Brother water bug trying to come back and tell her of the outside world. And do you know, dear friends, that God who works so great a mira cle in the life of a little water bug, c hang i ng this little insignificant creature into a lovely dragon fly, can transform a person who receives Him as Saviour? By His death on the cross, He changes “ sinners into saints” ; the lost are found and be come a new creation in Christ Jesus. “ But we all . . . beholding . , . are changed into the same image from glory to glory . . . by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Corinthians 3:18). Yes, some day, those who love Him will be transformed into His like ness. “ In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the dead shall be raised in corruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on in corruption, and this mortal must put on immo r t a l i t y ” (I Corinthians 15:52). “ Beloved, now are we the sons o f ! God, and it doth not jtet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 5:2).
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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