One day a little girl sat reading outside a cottage door. By and by a tourist came along, and asked her if she would give him some water to drink.
“O! yes, sir,” said the child; “if you will come in, mother will give you some milk and water.”
Thus welcomed, the man, who was very thirsty and tired, entered the cottage where he was kindly received by the little girl’s mother, from whose hands he obtained the refreshing draft of which he felt the need.
Meanwhile the child sat down again, and went on with her reading.
After taking a short rest, the traveler rose to go, but stopped to say a few words to the little girl before passing on his way.
“Are you getting your lesson?” he inquired.
“No, sir; I am reading the Bible.” “But you are getting your lesson out of the Bible?”
“O! no, sir; it is no task to me to read the Bible. I love the Bible.”
“And why do you love the Bible?” asked the traveler.
This question seemed greatly to surise the little girl; and looking up earnestly into the questioner’s face, she meekly answered,
“I thought everybody loved the Bible.”
This simple yet beautiful answer, coming from one so young, set the stranger to thinking. He well knew that he did not love the Bible, and he felt rebuked.
From that day he carefully read the Book he had always neglected and despised. The result proved, it was God who had led him near the home of that dear young believer, and that she was the Lord’s messenger to his needy soul; for in reading the Word of God, which she loved so much, he soon learned he was a lost sinner, for whom there was no escape from eternal judgment but by the blood of Christ. Believing this, through the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever, he received the gift of eternal life, as well as full and free forgiveness of his sins through faith in the Saviour’s Name.
ML 05/13/1945