A small boy who had been to the Zoo was heard to say one day,
“I would not be afraid of a lion, not even if I met him in a jungle I would stop and pat him.”
It was so easy for the little boy to say this when the only lions he had seen were kept at a safe distance and behind iron bars!
A short time afterward this same boy rushed shrieking into the garden evidently trying to escape from some foe. Was it a lion? No, it was not a lion; was it a mouse? No, it was not a mouse; it was a SPIDER! The little boy was afraid of a spider, and yet he had said he would not be afraid of a lion.
There is a verse in the Bible in which it says,
How well God knows us! He tells us that even such a small part of our body as our tongue will boast of great things, and we all need to ask God to help us keep our tongues in order, and not praise ourselves or boast of great things we can do.
When you are tempted next time to praise yourself, think of this little story of the lion and the spider. Remember, God knows you better than you know yourself, and He has told us not to boast. So let us try to put our tongues to a better use by praising and thanking God with them.
Shout then, children, shout your praises,
Loud let grateful anthems ring,
Jesus is the children’s Saviour,
Let us of His praises sing.
ML 07/26/1942