articlesforchristians

The Children’s Six Minutes: Come

COME

There is not a girl or boy here this morning who does not feel within the desire to do good. The drawing power of good—in other words, the drawing power of God. He it is who says to you, “Come.”

I want to illustrate this by a few things which I have here. The first is this magnet. And here are some small nails. These tiny nails represent girls and boys of about eleven or twelve years of age. I apply the magnet to these nails and I lift up—can you see me—twenty-five or thirty nails. You see it is a great deal easier to respond to the drawing power of good, to answer the great “Come,” in girlhood and boyhood.

Now here are some nails that are a little larger. I can lift up only five or six of these larger nails. They represent young people of eighteen or nineteen. As one gets older he does not hear as readily, at least he does not answer, Christ’s blessed “Come.”

Next we have some nails still larger. The magnet will lift up only one or two of these. They stand for men and women in mature life. Oh, if one has not responded to Christ’s call in childhood or youth, it becomes increasingly difficult as the years pass. How seldom, how very seldom, does an aged one answer the divine call and give his heart to the Lord!

Here is a very large nail, and it is rusty. Indeed it is literally coated with rust. This represents the life that is deep in sin. For long years this life has been persisting in his evil ways. As the magnet must be very strong to penetrate the rust and grip the nail, so Christ’s call must be strong and loving to reach the sinful soul. Christ can save “from the uttermost,” but how much better it is to say in early youth, “I hear thy voice, my Lord. Gladly I come.”

The Children’s Six Minutes: Kindness

KINDNESS

One day last week I saw a huge pair of bobs, heavily loaded with coal, being pulled up the street by two big, fine-looking horses. There were two men on the load. Their faces were black, but it was the dirt of honest toil, it was coal dust. They stopped the horses in front of the house directly across the street from me. I watched them with interest. The first thing one of the men did was to get down, take a board, go around to the front of the horses, lift up the heavy wagon tongue, place the board underneath it as a brace that the necks of the horses might be relieved of the strain of the wagon tongue. At the same time the other man took two warm blankets and covered the horses with them, tucking in the corners beneath the harness to make them tight and warm. Then the men set to work to carry the coal, basket by basket, into the cellar. That was kindness, was it not, to see that the horses were so well cared for on a cold winter day!

To my mind one of the finest acts of our city government is the way we are taught kindness to dumb animals and birds, by permitting them to make their homes and nests in the public park. What a delight it is to walk through the park and have the squirrels come running up so close, to eat from one’s hand! That is kindness.

How about kindness to people? Have you ever seen an older person walking along the street with a little child of three or four years of age, the child reaching up as far as he could to take the hand of the older person, the older one jerking, pulling, yanking, all the while saying, “Come now, hurry up, hurry up.” That is not kindness, is it?

“Howe’er it be, it seems to me’ Tis only noble to be good; Kind hearts are more than coronets, And simple faith than Norman blood.”

The Children’s Six Minutes: Snow

SNOW

“Goody, goody, it’s snowing!” This is what I heard early yesterday morning. I think there were many other homes in which this shout of joy ushered in the day. It being Saturday the day was mostly free for playing in the snow. What did you do? You made a snow man. You built a snow fort or house. You had a snowball battle. You slid down hill. You played fox and geese, tracking one another across white fields and through the woods. You had a happy, wonderful day, I know you did.

Have you ever thought how snow is made, and whence it comes? It is formed high in the air, from vapor, and comes down from the clouds, just like rain. Snowdrops are like people in one respect, no two are alike. If you will look at the snowflakes through a magnifying glass you will see a great variety of shapes. And all of them are beautiful. We talk about the sparkling beauty of diamonds and other precious gems; crystal snowflakes are more beautiful by far. If only we could keep them from melting what a necklace or a setting for a ring a collection of snowflakes would make!

God’s love is shown to us in the snow. For a fall of snow is like a great blanket, covering the tender roots and seeds, keeping them from freezing, assuring us of another harvest. As to-day you walk home through the snow let it speak to you of your Father’s love.

The Children’s Six Minutes: Growth

GROWTH

The Children’s Six Minutes: Last but not Least

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

How often have we heard this phrase! You girls and boys use it, “Here I am, last but not least.”

When Jesus was on earth there was often a discussion among the disciples concerning rank among them. Some were fearful that they would be last. One day a mother, very proud of her two sons, as mothers are apt to be, asked Jesus to grant permission that her two sons might sit, the one on his left hand, the other on his right, in the kingdom. Then He made a very beautiful as well as perfectly true statement, “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

There was another time, when Jesus sat at supper with his disciples, wishing to show them, by example, the utter worthlessness of station, for station’s sake, rose from the table, took a towel and basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet. Peter objected, but when he understood, he said, “Not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.” At the last Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”

Girls and boys, if you desire a high place in life, begin low. If you want to occupy a leading place you must be willing to serve in the least. It always has been so, it will never change, this great law of life, that he who would be first must be willing to be last. It is the eternal law of service.

The Children’s Six Minutes: The Christmas Tree

THE CHRISTMAS TREE by Bruse S. Wright.

For a few years I lived in a country where “December is as pleasant as May.” The weather was warm all through the year. The ground was never frozen, for there was never any frost. I never saw a snowflake in all the years I lived in the tropics. The trees were trees of the hot climate, mostly palm, bamboo and acacia trees. When Christmas drew near, I thought the day would be a very dreary day, and wholly unChristmaslike because there would be no snow, and we would be without our accustomed tree.

A few days before our first Christmas in the tropics a friend said to me, “I am sending a tree down from the mountains for your children.” In due time the tree arrived. You can imagine the joy of our entire household when they looked upon a genuine, evergreen, Christmas tree. We set it up in our big “sala,” that is our living room, and there it remained for many days, the delight of our eyes.

The tree of the Christmas season has some specifically Christmas messages. First, it is evergreen. That reminds us of the eternal Saviour, “the same yesterday, to-day and forever.” At the very tiptop of the tree we place a star. There it shines, high above all else, reminding us of the higher, holier life to which we are summoned. The star beckons us to loftier aspirations. Christ came down from heaven. He became one of us, sharing our human life. But he is ever above us as well as with us, luring us on to the life of God. The Christmas tree is ablaze with lights. Jesus brought light into the world. How dark the world would be without him! About the base of the tree, and suspended from the branches are many gifts. They are tokens of the love and esteem we hold for each other, and remind us of God’s great gift of love, Christ himself.

This post is included because it is in the original book by Bruse S. Wright.

The Children’s Six Minutes: The Best Word

THE BEST WORD

What is the best word! I think I can hear each of you as he answers. One says “Mother is the best word.” Another says, “Father.” Still another, “Daddy.” A fourth one answers, “Home.” Now I hear a voice that says, “America.” Another voice shouts, “Friend.” Yes, there are many, many words to which we might rightfully give the title “best word.”

But for this season of the year, and for this particular Sunday, there is one word that stands out from among all the others. That one word is “Christmas.” To-morrow will be Christmas day. I think this word “Christmas” is the best word because it includes all the other good words.

In your home you have a rug. There are many colors in that rug, yet it is all one fabric. The many colors are skillfully woven and beautifully blended to make the one fabric. Think of this word Christmas as a rug, made up of many words of many colors. We see in this rug the word “mother.” What would Christmas be without mother! We see also the word father, and the words sister, brother, grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle, friend, home. Then clearest of all in this wonderful rug is the word Christ. Christ is Christmas. Yes, Christmas is the best word for it gathers within its meaning all other good words.

“This happy day, whose risen sun Shall set not through eternity; This holy day, when Christ, the Lord, Took on him our humanity; For little children everywhere A joyous season still we make; We bring our precious gifts to them, Even for the dear Child, Jesus’ sake.”

The Children’s Six Minutes: Him and Hymn

HIM AND HYMN