Quickly she jumped out of bed and ran to Mother’s room, her face all aglow with a new happiness. “ Oh, Mother, may I—would you care very much if I gave my new yellow dress to Janet?’’ For answer, Susie’s mother gathered her up in her arms and gave her a big hug. “Why of course you may give Janet your new dress, my dear Susie, and I’m so glad you’ve learned ‘to love your neighbor as yourself,’ ” answered Mother. Needless to say, the Valentine party was a very happy occasion, especially for two little girls. Janet was thrilled to wear her very own yellow dress— the prettiest dress at the party and the nicest one she had ever owned. And Susie was so happy because she had given her first real valentine that she didn’t mind a bit wearing the old pink velvet that everyone had seen again and again.
of a stony heart, and in Psalm 78:37 it speaks of a heart that is not right. You might cut a heart out of black paper to stand for these three. That is the way the heart of one who does not! know the Lord Jesus as Saviour looks to Him. God’s Word also speaks of a pure heart (Matt. 5:8), a new heart (Ezek. 11:19), and a true heart (Heb. 10: 22). ¡You might make a heart out of white paper to picture these hearts. I ami sure a clean, white heart is the kind that each one of you wants. How can a heart represented by the black paper become a pure heart, pictured by the white paper? In Psalm 51:7, we find these words, “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Deceitful, evil hearts surely need washing, and God has provided a way. “ The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The Lord Jesus died on the cross and shed His pre cious blood in order that deceitful, black hearts might become new and pure and clean. So let us make a heart of red paper to tell what the Lord Jesus has done for us. If you will receive Him today as your Sav iour He will make your heart pure and clean (John 1:12). February is not only a month of Valentines, but it is also a month of birthdays. This is the month that boys and girls remember George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I can imagine that at school you have oeen studying the lives of these great men, trying to remember the things that have caused the world to call them great. You have admired the portraits of their noble faces. God, in His Word, has a chapter which is very much like an art gallery of heroes. In this chapter are found the names of men and women who were great in God’s sight. This chapter is sometimes called the faith chapter. It is Hebrews 11. Locate it in your Bibles. Count the men and women whose names appear there. Do you notice that the word “ faith” occurs again and again? The men and wom en mentioned were great because they were known as men and women of faith. WTiat is faith? Red Hebrews 11: 1 for God’s definition. In Romans 10: 17, we read, “ Faith cometh by hear ing, and hearing by the word of God.” One gets faith by hearing and believing God’s Word. If you would be well pleasing in God’s sight, be known as God’s heroes. Dare to hear, believe, and obey God’s Word. Then there will be a place for you in God’s Hall of Fame.
The Little Boat
T w i c e O w n e d
B ruce loved the sea and boats. To spend a day at a harbor watching the boats come and go was to him the best treat he could imagine. He lived with his parents in a town located along the shores of a great lake, and his one desire was to have a little boat of his own to sail upon the blue waters. One day, his father said, “ Bruce, why don’t you make a boat? I will furnish all the materials and let you work in my work shop.” This brought joy to the heart of the lad, and not long after that, he displayed to his father a boat of his own designing and making. I believe he liked it a bit more than he would any other, because he had made it all himself. What love and dreams he had put into its frame work! He had painted it red and blue, and with its white sails it displayed the colors of our flag. It was not a boat large enough to carry people, but it could sail on the lake, held by a long cord. One beautiful day, down to the lakeshore went Bruce. Imagine his joy when he saw the little boat sail proudly away on the blue waves! Of course, he guided it here and there by means of the long cord. All went well for a while. Then, “ Clang, clang” rang the fire alarm. The fire engine could be heard in the distance. Hurriedly fastening the cord, Bruce was off with the others. It was a big fire—a city block was swept away, and Bruce lingered with many others for a long time. Finally, however, his thoughts returned to his toy. Away he sped to the lake front—but alas, the little boat was nowhere to be seen. Along the shore he went, straining his eyes for a glimpse of his red- white-and-blue boat, but not a trace could he find. For days he stayed near the shore, hoping against hope (continued on page 53)
FEBRUARY F ebruary is a short month, but to the boys and girls in the school room it is a very interesting month. It is the month for the Valentine box. What fun you have choosing dainty heart-shaped greetings to send to your playmates! Some of you have been making your Valentines, cutting out hearts of all colors and sizes. Did you know that God’s Word has much to say about hearts, and that He speaks of many kinds of hearts? When you made your heart-shaped Valentines, you chose pretty, colored papers—pink and blue and red. Not one of you chose black, did you? So in God’s Word there are certain kinds of hearts mentioned which you and I would not like to have. The heart, you know, as it is spoken of in the Bible, means more than the little organ in the body, which so faithfully pounds away day after day. It really represents the real you. In Jeremiah 17:9, we read these words, “ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” God’s Word in Ezekiel 11:19, speaks
FEBRUARY, 1961
51
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker