At a Gospel meeting the preacher took for his text the Scripture, “This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”
In the company there was a little girl named Edith, who listened attentively to all the speaker said. When he gave out the text it seemed to her that he read it thus: “This Man receiveth sinners, and Edith with them.”
The preacher repeated the text several times, and each time she seemed to hear him say, “and Edith with them.”
At the close of the service she ran home, and directly she reached the door she called to her mother, “O, mother, I believe in Jesus now!” “How do you know that?” asked her mother.
She replied, “Because the preacher said so. Again and again he said,
‘This Man (Jesus) receiveth sinners, and Edith with them.’”
‘No, my dear,” said her mother, “you are wrong. It is ‘This Man receiveth sinners and eateth with them’.”
“But, mother dear, every time he said, And Edith with them,’ and it meant me.”
“Yes, yes, my dear,” said her mother, taking Edith in her arms with tears of joy, “It means you and it means me too,” so they both rejoiced together.
My dear young friends who read this, just put your name in the space left for it “This Man (Jesus) receiveth sinners, and,..... with them.”
He will receive you just as you are. Edith put her name there during the preaching. You can put yours there NOW.
How precious is Jesus
To all who believe,
And out of His fullness
What grace they receive!
When weak, He supports them,
When erring, He guides,
And everything needful
He kindly provides.
O, give then to Jesus
Your earliest days,
They only are blessed
Who walk in His ways;
In life and in death.
He will still be their Friend,
For those whom He loves
He will love to the end.
ML 06/09/1940