Is not Eternal Life a tremendous gift to be offered to us? Yet we can all have it. Every one of us—great and small—rich and poor. And if we know we have it, death will not make us afraid. Our souls cannot die. Eternal life with our Saviour in Heaven. That Land of Happiness which is too glorious to be described. Who would not stretch out their hands for such a gift? But it needs empty hands to take it. We must let everything else go, and we must take the Lord Jesus Christ for our own Saviour. It is only for His sake, and through Him, that God gives us this gift. Take it from Him now. Thank Him with all your hearts for giving it to you, and serve Him and love Him for the rest of your lives. That is how you can show your gratitude for such a gift as this. It is the biggest gift you could have offered to you. [Illustration: SELLING SPARROWS. Luke 12.6, 7.] Suppose you had everything you want in this world, but no life in the next? If you were drowning, and were offered a pony, or a purse, or a house, or a bag of gold, would you be glad of such gifts? "No," you would cry; "it's my life I want. Save me." And all the gifts that this world can give will be useless when we come to die. God's Great Gift of Eternal Life will be what we shall want then, and if we have refused to take it all our life from His hands, how do we know that we shall receive it from Him then? God will not offer His gift for ever. It is insulting His love and goodness to refuse to take it, to despise it, to be indifferent to it now. Stretch out your hand, lay hold of Eternal Life! And you will thank God for ever and ever for His wonderful Gift. "The wages of sin is death, but the Free Gift of God is Eternal Life." CHAT VII ——— To Be Ready "Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not." (Luke 12.40) CHAT VII To Be Ready "Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not." (Luke 12.40) WHAT is it to be ready? To be prepared. We don't like unpunctual people. Some children are always late for meals and late for school. But we lose pleasure sometimes by being late. By not being ready. Suppose a rich uncle comes to take you out for the day. He is going to take you into the country by a certain train. You are not ready when he comes for you, you lose the train, and he is so angry that he says he won't take you out at all. You lost your treat by not being ready for it. But "ready" does not only mean being in time. If a grown up girl was going to be presented at the King and Queen's Court, she might be at the Palace in time, but if she were not suitably dressed, if she had not troubled to put on a court dress, she would not be "ready" for the presentation.