Morning Bells; Or, Waking Thoughts for Little OnesHavergal, Frances Ridley
Religion
Morning Bells; Or, Waking Thoughts for Little Ones
Havergal, Frances Ridley
Children -- Prayers and devotions; Christian life -- Juvenile literature
What is "holy"? It is everything that is perfectly beautiful and good and
lovable, without anything to spoil it. This is just what He was when He
was your age. He was gentle and brave, and considerate and unselfish,
noble and truthful, obedient and loving, kind and forgiving,--everything
you can think of that you ever admired or loved in any one else was all
found together in Him, and all this not only outside, but inside, for He
was "holy."
Why did He live all these holy child-years on earth instead of staying in
heaven till it was time to come and die for you? One reason was, that He
might leave you a beautiful example, so that you might wish to be like
Him, and ask for the Holy Spirit to make you like Him. But the other was
even more gracious and wonderful, it was "that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." That is, that all this goodness and
holiness might be reckoned to you, because you had not any of your own,
and that God might smile on you _for His sake_, just as if _you_ had been
perfectly obedient, and truthful, and unselfish, and good, and give you
Jesus Christ's reward, which you never deserved at all, but which He
deserved for you.
He took your sins and gives you His righteousness; He took your punishment
and gives you His reward; it is just changed over, if you will only accept
the exchange!
"I'm glad my blessed Saviour
Was once a child like me,
To show how pure and holy
His little ones might be.
And if I try to follow
His footsteps here below,
He never will forget me,
Because He loves me so."
2. Second Day.
Our Great Example
"Even Christ pleased not Himself."--Rom. xv. 3.
Do you really wish to follow the footsteps of the Holy Child Jesus? Have
you asked God to make you more like Him? Are you ready to begin to-day?
Then here is a motto for to-day, "Even Christ pleased not Himself." Will
you take it, and try to imitate Him? You are sure to have plenty of
opportunities of acting upon it, and thus proving not only to others, but
to your dear Saviour Himself, that you mean what you say, and mean what
you pray.
Perhaps it seems a rather melancholy "morning bell" to you, tolling
instead of chiming! But if you really wish to be like Christ, you will
soon find that its music is as sweet as any, and that its quiet chime will
come to you again and again with a wonderful sweetness and power, helping
you over all sorts of difficulties, and saving you from all sorts of sins
and troubles.
You can not tell, till you have fairly tried, how happy a little girl can
feel, who has cheerfully given up to another, for Jesus' sake, something
which she would have liked for herself; nor how happy a boy can be when of
his own free will, and by God's grace, he has chosen to do what his
conscience tells him would please the Lord Jesus instead of what would
have pleased himself.
If you have never tried it yet, begin to-day, and you will find it is
quite a new happiness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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