THE CHILDREN'S FEELINGS

There are times when young believers feel that they must let out their joys and longings in what we call exclamations. This is a happy thing if the Holy Spirit is the source of those feelings, but there are others, evil ones, which by the same power the youngest believing child can learn to keep away.

According to Matthew, God the Father made known even to little ones the things pleasing to Him. Later in the same Gospel these children answered by crying 'Hosanna' which showed their joy in seeing already in Jesus the promised Saviour through whom all would prosper. He had come into the city meek and mounted upon an ass.

It is interesting that the Creator should thus dignify in the Scripture an animal which people usually ridicule. You may remember, too, that it was a she-ass which actually spoke with man's voice. Again, the only animal to be ransomed was the firstling of an ass. That was the first mention of ransom in the Bible, but how different from the last reference! This tells us of "The man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all". Every believer gets the benefit of this.

The captive maid who waited on Naaman's wife exclaimed with the little word 'Oh!' her longing that her master might be cured of his leprosy. God alone could do this and by obedience to the word of the prophet Naaman was cleansed of a disease which is a sign of the misery and mastery of sin. Have you got your freedom from sin as well, as the forgiveness of your sins?

J.C.Evershed

London