One sunny warm day, a gentleman named Mr. Ford was walking through the country repeating to himself as he walked along, “The Lord is my Shepherd: I shall not want.” Psalms 23:11<<A Psalm of David.>> The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1).
Just then a boy carrying an old rusty bird-cage came down the lane. Even before he got near enough for Mr. Ford to see what was in the cage, he heard such piteous chirps, not at all like the song of the free birds around. As the boy came closer, Mr. Ford saw about half a dozen poor little sparrows all trying so hard to get out of the cage. They flew round and round, and beat their heads against the wires, but the door of the cage was tied with a strong string, and there was no way of escape for the tiny prisoners.
Mr. Ford put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and said, “My boy, whose birds are those?”
The boy looked at Mr. Ford for a moment, then answered, “Mine, sir.”
“Yours, are they; how did you get them?”
“Caught them in a trap in the woods.”
“And what are you going to do with them now?”
“Give them to our cat.”
“Poor little things, I should like to buy them. How much will you sell them for?”
“Fifteen cents, sir.”
Without another word Mr. Ford took the money out of his pocket and put it into the boy’s hand. The young lad looked as if he could not quite understand why a gentleman should give so much money for a few little birds, but he only said:
“Thank you, sir! Going to the Station, are you? I’ll carry the cage up for you.”
But Mr. Ford did not want the cage taken to the station. Cutting the string that fastened the door with his pocket knife, he put his hand into the cage and took out a bird, smoothed its feathers, then let it fly. Another, then another he let go, till, in less time than it takes me to write it, the cage was empty.
The boy looked on. He could not make it out. To buy the birds only to set them free! At last he said: “Oh, sir, you have let them all go!”
“Yes, they are all gone. Why did you not stop me if you did not want me to let them go? You said they were your birds when I first met you.”
“So they were, sir, till — till you paid for them.”
“So that makes all the difference. I bought them; they were mine, and I could do what I thought best with them; is that it?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Ford and the boy stood talking a long time after the birds were set free, for he had a very sweet and wonderful story to tell. It was the story of the Lord Jesus who gave His life, shedding His own precious blood, because there was nothing else that would set the poor captives of Satan free. He gave His life that He might save and set free the boy or girl who is reading this paper.
All those who have come to Jesus and trusted Him as their own Saviour do not belong to Satan any more. Are they sorry? No, indeed they are very glad because now they belong to the Lord Jesus who has bought them with His own blood.
Dear little reader, is the Lord Jesus your own precious Saviour?
Jesus paid it all—
All to Him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed me white as snow
ML 01/21/1968