Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-03-06
THE LITTLE LAD!
From Clinch Valley Baptist.

VI the sea OF Galilee,
Where the purple mountains
Stretch down to meet the sea,
The eager people gathered
Upon Bethsaida's slope,
TO listen to the Master
His words of love and hope.
"Send them away, dear Master
This hungering multitude,
The evening shadows gather,
We cannot find the food.
Five loaves and two small fishes
A little lad hath brought,
But for these many thousands
That childish gift is naught."
make them sitdown," he answered
And then, oh happy lad
Who gave the loving Savior
So freely all he had!
He took the loaves and fishes,
And blessed and brake the food;
And, 10! the scanty Offering
Fed all that multitude.
All four Of the gospel writer's
have told the story of the feed
ing of the five thousand. We
read it and wonder at the mar
velous power of the One who
multiplied the loaves and fishes
but how many of us ever think
of the little lad? For a few
moments let us wonder about
him. How came he with this
multitude? Did mother with
loving hands prepare the little
lunch and send her boy to hear
the great Teacher, as so many
of our mothers send theirs to
Sunday school these days? Or,
did she take him, going with
him herself along the shore of
Galilee out into the desert place
where thousands had gone to
witness the healing power all
hear the wonderful words of
Jesus? Perhaps, too, he was
a boy whose mother didn't even
know where he was, like so
many boys and so many moth
ers of today. He may have
gathered up the lunch himself
I and gone down to the lake to
fish. Perchance some passer-by
seeing him there, invited him
to go with them to learn of Je-
sus., just as you and I should
invite every boy we meet.
AT any rate, we know he was
there.
1t was Andrew, Simon Peters
brother who said, "there is a
lad here" 1t seems Andrew had
a wonderful talent for finding
people. 1t was he who found
his own brother, Peter, and
brought him to Christ. In this
vast multitude he finds little
boy and comes in such close per-
sonal touch as to know the con-
tents of his lunch basket. He
knew too, perhaps, the history
, lof that boy, his opportunities
and environments, and just how
willingly he would give to Jesus
his possessions.
DO we, like Andrew, know the
presence of theladin our midst
Do we know what he has in his
possession? The proverbial
pocket must be full; and just as
: full will you find his active brain
and heart of thoughts and mo-
tives for good or evil. Are his
possessions such as the Master
can bless and use for the good
of mankind?
Are we trying to influence our
boys to be used of the Master?
"In the days of their youth
is the favorable time for bring
ing Christian influence to bear
upon them. There is time in
every boys life when he will fol
low those who try to lead him
but boyhood is fleeting, soon he
will be man. Religious in
fluences weaken as they pass on,
while the power or sin increases
until the attraction toward evil
is almost if not quite irresist-
ible." "The shores of Time are
Strewn thick with the wasted
lives of those who have been
wrecked in youth"
The lad is here; let us seek
to win him to Christ before it is
too late.
| The fruitful channels of in
lluence are the Sunday school
class and the Royal Ambassa-
dor Chapter.
The w. M. U. of Virginia is
very anxious to enlist the boys
in "the Kings business, and
| am sure they will gladly be-
come ambassadors for Christ
if we can only find in each
church some woman or man
L