Wedding Anniversaries

Married couples celebrate the anniversaries of their marriage as most people celebrate their birthdays:
but how many know that names have been assigned to the number of years married, and what these
names are? Here is a list of them:
1st year Paper
2nd year Cotton
3rd year Linen
4th year Silk
5th year Wood
6th year Iron
7th year Copper
8th year Bronze
9th year Pottery
10th year Tin
15th year Crystal
20th year China
25th year Silver
30th year Pearl
35th year Coral
40th year Ruby
45th year Sapphire
50th year Gold
55th year Emerald
60th year Diamond
The list of names does not seem to go beyond that.
True Sense of Values
A little girl had accidentally dropped a small silver coin into her mothers prized vase. Naturally she put her
little hand into recover it, but found, as she gripped the coin and held it tight, that she was unable to
withdraw her hand; so she screamed and struggled to get her hand out.
Her cries attracted the other members of the family who all advised and pleaded with her to open her
hand and then withdraw it with ease. But no! She would hold on to her precious little coin and continued
to struggle, squirm and scream.
Finally, the costly vase had to be broken and, with her fist tightly clenched, she exclaimed Ive still got it.
The far more costly vase was sacrificed for the sake of a paltry coin.
Many like the little girl in the incident have a false sense of values. We tend to cling with tightening grip to
trivial things and lose what is infinitely more precious and lasting.
Love of self, love of money, love of pleasure; hinder many from laying hold of eternal life and enjoying the
life that is life indeed.
Strength of Love
Rock is strong but iron cleaves it. Iron is strong but fire melts it. Fire is strong, but water quenches it.
Water is strong, but clouds carry it away. Clouds are strong, but wind drives them. Winds are strong, but
man can resist them. Man is strong, but fear casts him down. Fear is strong, but love casts out fear. Love
is stronger: love is eternal.

Love strong as death, nay, stronger; love, mightier than the grave;
Broad as the earth and longer than oceans wildest wave.
This is the love that sought us: this is the love that bought us:
This is the love that brought us
To gladdest day from saddest night,
From deepest shame to glory bright,
From depths of death to lifes fair height,
From darkness to the joys of light.
The Shepherds Provision
Since the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want:
Rest He makes me to lie down
Refreshment He leads me beside the still waters
Restoration He restores my soul
Guidance He leads me in the paths of righteousness
Confidence I will fear no evil
Companionship Thou art with me
Comfort Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me
Provision Thou prepares a table
Unction Thou anoints my head
Satisfaction My cup runs over
Protection Goodness and mercy shall follow me
A home at last I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Riches Untaxable
A tax collector once came to a minister in order to value his property.
I am a rich man, said the minister. The official quickly sharpened his pencil and asked, Well, what do you
own?
The preacher replied, I am the possessor of a Saviour who earned for me everlasting life and who is
preparing for me a place in the eternal city.
What else?
I have a brave and pious wife, and, as Solomon says, Who can find a virtuous woman, for her price is far
above rubies.
What else?
Healthy,obedient children!
What else?
A merry heart which enables me to pass through life joyfully.
What else?
That is all, replied the preacher.

The official closed his book, rose, took his hat, and said, You are indeed a rich man, sir, but your property
is not subject to taxation.
Risk Worthwhile
One night when storms were beating in full fury, a wreck was firing the minute gun and the lifeboat was
manned and sent out. Relay after relay rescued the whole crew but one, and the lifeboat was being
manned for the last trip, one young fellow, John Holden, stepped in.
John, dont go, pleaded his mother. Your father is dead, your brother Williams is lost at sea, and I have
no one left but you. Surely you wont risk your life for only one.
But John went. Slowly the lifeboat disappeared amidst mountains of foam. After anxious suspense the
boat returned. Is the man saved? was shouted from the shore. Yes, rang back the voice of John, and
go and tell mother its Williams.
Rewards Unexpected
A schoolboy came home for the holidays after three months and showed his report to his father. His father
read it and said, splendid, my boy.
Yes! said the boy with pride, top of the class, Father, think of it. That is splendid, the father replied, I
expect they will give you a reward for that. No, father, they are not giving prizes this term. Oh, certainly
you will be given a reward for it! said his father.
Two or three days after the boy returned to school for the next term, the father received a letter full of
anguish. They have moved me up into a new form, father, where the work is too hard, and I am at the
bottom of the form, his son wrote. Please tell them to put me back in the form where I was top boy.
The father wrote back, saying, My boy, I told you they would reward you.
After two or three terms the boy came home and announced, Top of the form again, father. Well! said
the father, I expect they will reward you again.
Sure enough, he got his reward by removal to a higher and harder form.
Is the work too hard for you? If so, the Lord is advancing and rewarding you, trusting you with harder work
because He wants you to trust him more and to become more than conqueror.
Rescued by a Raven
In a little village near Warsaw lived a German peasant whose name was Dobry. Because of adverse
circumstances he had got behind in paying his rent and the landlord was threatening to evict him.
All his pleadings for an extension of time had been in vain, and the next day he and his family were to be
turned out into the snow.
Hearing the church bells chime for evening prayer, Dobry and his loved ones knelt to ask the Lord to
supply their needs, for they were at the end of all human resources.
After prayer they rose to their feet and sang the holy hymn, Commit thou all thy grief and ways into His
hands. As they finished singing, they heard a strange tapping at the window. Opening it, they found a

raven that Dobrys grandfather had tamed many years before. It held in its beak a ring of great value set
with many precious stones.
An investigation disclosed that it had been lost that day by the king who was traveling through the town.
When Dobry returned it, the king rewarded him with a large sum of money, sufficient to build a house of
his own.
To commemorate the wonderful events of that wintry night, a plaque was prepared on which was carved a
raven with a ring in its beak, and underneath a stanza of the hymn they had been singing when the bird
pecked at their window.
Dorby recognized that even as the prophet Elijah had been divinely fed by the fowls of the air, he too had
been rescued by a raven.
Lamb Unlit
A gateman saw a motor car approaching a railway crossing one dark night. He quickly caught his lamp,
and rushed out, swinging the lamp. The motorist came on and was killed by the oncoming train. The
gateman was charged and taken to court. He was asked, 'Did you, or did you not, swing the lamp to that
motorist?'
With trembling lips the gateman replied, 'Sir, before God, I declare I did swing the lamp.' He was
discharged.
The gateman's best friend said to him afterwards, 'George, when you were giving evidence, why did you
shake so?'
George answered, 'I did swing my lamp, but, may God forgive me, there was no light in the lamp.'
So today in many places of worship where the glad tidings and warning notes of the gospel should be
sounded out, there is no light in the lamp, and therefore no guiding ray, and multitudes of travellers to
eternity dash on to destruction.
Saved By a Lamb
A tourist visited a church in the town of Woeden in Germany and was surprised to see the carved figure of
a lamb near the top of the churchs tower.
He asked why it was there and was told that when the church was being built, a workman fell from the
high scaffolding.
His co-workers saw him fall and were transfixed with fear. When they rushed down the scaffolding to the
ground with the utmost haste, they were expecting to find him dead. But to their surprise and joy, he was
alive and only slightly injured.
How did he survive? At the moment of his fall a flock of sheep was being driven beneath the tower, and
he had fallen on one of the lambs. The lamb broke his fall and was crushed to death, but the man was
saved.
To commemorate the remarkable and miraculous escape from death of the workman, someone carved a
figure of the lamb on the tower at the exact height from which the workman fell. To also remind all who
came that way of the Lamb of God who died to save sinners.
That expresses a tiny bit of what it means when John says "Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the

sin of the world" The sense indicated by Isaiah with his promise of One who will bring salvation to the
ends of the earth".
Alone yet Not Alone
About the year 1754, when war was raging between the French and the British in Canada, and when the
Indians took the part of the French, one day a party of Indians surrounded the house of a poor family from
Germany at a time when the mother and one of the sons were absent. The father, the eldest son, and two
little girls named Barbara and Regina, were at home.
The savages burst into the house, killed the men and carried off the little girls along with other children of
the same age, leading them by forced marches in order to escape pursuit.
At that time Barbara was ten years old, Regina nine. What became of Barbara was never known, but
Regina was given to an old widow who was very cruel to the little girl. Here she remained till she was
about nineteen years of age, but she did not forget her early home training.
She said her prayers night and morning, often repeated verses from the Bible, and sang little hymns
which she had learnt at home. One she often sang was:
Alone, yet not alone am I,
Though in this solitude so drear;
She constantly hoped and prayed that the Lord would in His own time restore her to her friends.
In 1764 the long deferred hope was realized. A British colonel discovered the Indian encampment,
attacked it, and took it by storm. A condition of peace was the surrender of the prisoners, and no less than
400 captives were handed over by the Indians to the British.
Many of them had quite forgotten their native language, and were so altered in appearance that their own
mothers could not recognize them. They were fed and clothed, and then taken to a town named Carlisle.
It was announced in the daily newspaper that all parents who had had children carried off by the Indians
might come and reclaim them. Amongst those who came to Carlisle was Reginas sorrowing mother. She
searched up and down the lines of captives but nowhere could she discover her daughters. So great was
her disappointment that she burst into tears.
The bystanders endeavoured to console her, and the colonel, in order to help her, asked the weeping
mother if she could recall anything by which her children might be discovered. She replied that there was
a hymn she used to sing to them, and at the colonels request she sang:
Alone, yet not alone, am I
Though in this solitude so drear;
I feel my Saviour always nigh.
He comes the weary hours to cheer.
I am with Him and He with me
Even here alone I cannot be.
She had only sung a few words when Regina rushed from the crowd and began to sing it too; then she
threw herself into her mothers arms. The early training in that Christian home thus brought about that
happy reunion.
Spiritual Beauty
You may not have beauty

That most crave today:

But then, it is only skin deep, they say.
There are hidden beauties
That one can acquire
More precious by far than the looks some desire.
There are priceless virtues
That you can display,
Opportunities coming with each passing day:
In being kind-hearted,
Loving and true,
Sincere and patient and humble too.
These are the beauties
That shine from within,
Lasting for ever, much deeper than skin.
Giving brings Blessings
Its a funny thing with giving that it spreads out far and wide,
As a stone that drops into a pond sends ripples to the side;
If one person meets another and gives a cheerful smile,
That can spread among other people till its traveled many a mile;
One kindly word thats spoken to a stranger on the way
Can multiply and multiply before the end of day.
And I think youll know the story of five thousand people fed
When a boy gave just two fishes and five tiny loaves of bread:
So, when you give your money, just think what it might do,
How many people might be blessed by the gift that comes from you.
Giving Sacrificially
Sitting over against the treasury of the temple, the Lord detected that day the difference between the
ostentatious gifts of the rich and the humble two mites of the widow. He was viewing with a discerning
eye how the crowd throws money into the treasury.
The world sees what a man gives: Christ sees how he gives
The world looks at the amount: Christ looks at the motive.
The rich gave of their abundance: the widow gave all that she had.
There was no sacrifice in the one: there was no reserve in the other.
The fable is told of a pig and a hen walking together along the road when they saw a large notice directing
them to an Egg and Bacon Barbecue. How about going along? asked the hen. Not I, replied the pig,
You can go if you wish, for you only give a contribution. For me it is a sacrifice.
Giving While Youre Living
Do your giving while youre living,

Then you know where its going

A man once said to a servant of God, Why is it that everybody is always criticizing me for being miserly
when they know that I have made provision to give everything to charity when I die? Well, said the other,
let me tell you about the pig and the cow. The pig said to the cow, Everybody likes you, yet you give only
milk and cream, while I give much more. I give bacon and ham, I give bristles, and they even pickle my
feet! Still nobody likes me. Why is this? the cow thought for a minute and then said, Well, maybe its
because I give while Im still living.
Giving While Youre Living
Use your money while youre living,
Do not hoard it to be proud;
You can never take it with you,
Theres no pocket in a shroud.
Gold can help you on no further
Than the graveyard where you lie;
Even though youre rich while living,
Youre a pauper when you die.
Use it, then some lives to brighten,
Those who ever weary plod;
Place you bank account in heaven
And grow richer toward God.
Use it wisely, use it freely,
Do not hoard it to be proud
You can never take it with you
Theres no pocket in a shroud.
Gods Delight
A well-kept heart is Gods delight:
Then let thy heart be clean,
For out of it lifes issues flow,
The mighty and the mean.
A well-stored mind is Gods delight;
Then fill thy mind in youth,
Draw deeply from the hidden springs
Of Gods eternal truth.
A well-trained eye is Gods delight;
Then train thy eye to trace
The glories of thy Fathers house
Where thou shall see His face.
A well-drilled ear is Gods delight;
Then strain thy ear to hear
The whisper of thy Fathers voice,
Who walks ever near.
A well-ruled tongue is Gods delight;

The guard thy tongue right well;

Its full of poison, full of strife,
Its set on fire by hell.
A well-placed foot is Gods delight,
Then bring thy foot straight down;
Stand on the solid rock of right,
Ignore the proud worlds frown.
A well-shaped course is Gods delight;
Then have thy course defined:
Pursue it with blood earnestness,
Nor cast one glance behind.
Ingratitude for Salvation
A fisherman was lying aboard his boat in Plymouth Sound; he heard a splash in the water. He knew there
was another fishing boat not far off, and the man on board was a drinking man.
Finding the man in the water and praying to God for help, he managed to pull him out and worked over
him for more than an hour. Then he made him as comfortable as possible and left.
Next morning he pulled over to see how the man was, and found him leaning over the side of his craft.
How are you this morning? he asked; and the man replied gruffly, whats that to you?
Why! said his rescuer, I cant help taking an interest in you. I saved your life last night. With a curse the
rescued man yelled, Get out of here, liar.
At this point, the fishermans heart was like a thing broke. He looked up to heaven and said, My blessed
Lord Jesus, I am sorry for Thee. That is how the world is always treating Thee.
The Inward Man
It is not clothes that make the man
Though dandy he may be;
Its something more important than his dress
For all the world to see.
It is a radiant beauty from within
That fills a man with power,
And permeates and glows and floods the life
Each day, and every hour.
But this is something money cannot buy,
For priceless is its worth:
It only comes from God Himself on high
Who sends it down to earth.
Through Jesus Christ alone these beauties come
To captivate the heart:
No earthly dress or pomp or show of any kind
Can in this have a part.
Sincerity, simplicity and love divine,

A contrite humble soul,

Are gifts the Holy Spirit gives to those
Whom Christ makes whole.
He then transforms the life and makes it glow
With virtuous gifts, God-given,
To shine for Him while here on earth below
And take right up to heaven.
Characteristics of Light
The nearer we are to the source, the brighter the light appears.
Light reveals; the brighter the light, the more revealing it is.
Light reflects more clearly from a clean surface.
Light reveals uncleanness but cannot itself be adulterated.
Light is nothing to the blind: they cannot see it or appreciate it.
A person walking with his face away from the light walks in his own shadow, hence in darkness:
A person walking toward the light walks in the light:
Light cannot dwell with darkness nor darkness with light.
John 1.4,9; 3.19; 9.5
Looking Back
Roger Bannister was the first man to run a mile in four minutes. Three months later John Landy topped
his record by 1.4 seconds.
Three months later the two met together for a historic race. As they moved into the last lap, the other
contestants were trailing far behind.
Landy was ahead. It looked as if he would win, but as Landy neared the finish he was haunted by the
question: Where is Bannister?
As Landy reviewed the race for the Time reporter, he said, If I hadnt looked back, I would have won the
race.
Loyalty to Christ
A young Jewess in Chicago was wonderfully converted and commenced immediately to witness to her
fellow employees. As some objected, the president of the firm told her she must stop talking religion to the
other workers. All right, she replied, then I shall have to leave, for I cannot work where I cannot take my
Saviour and witness for Him.
O.K. said the president, if thats how you feel about it, then you will have to give up your position.
Having an aged mother to support, she did not know where she could find other employment, but she
answered, As you say, I shall give up my position, but I cannot be disloyal to my Lord.

On Saturday of that week a note from the president was laid on her desk. Opening it, expecting it was a
notice of discharge, she read, we have a place of greater responsibility than the one you now occupy,
with a larger salary. We consider you are the right person for that job, so we are offering it to you.
One who is loyal to her Lord is one who will be loyal to her boss, if he does not ask her to do anything of
which her Saviour would not approve.
The Man for Me
A Christian gentleman was travelling in an out-bound train from London and , when it stopped at one of
the stations, a mill-girl entered singing a pop song describing a man who must be kind, handsome, rich,
loving and clever, each verse ending with the words And thats the man for me!
Listening till she had finished, the Christian man asked, well, have you found that man yet? No! she
replied, Im afraid theyre few and far between. Then the Christian man said, I know a Man who answers
in every respect to what you have been singing. I was speaking to Him this morning, and I know He has
an interest in you. In fact, He loves you.
Her curiosity aroused, she asked, well whats His name? His name is Jesus, he replied. Nothing more
was said till the end of her journey, one stop before the Christian mans.
As she alighted and was closing the door, she said gently, And thats the Man for me.
Seed
If you plant for a year; plant grain.
If you plant for ten years; plant trees.
If you plant for 100 years; plant men.
If you plant for Eternity, plant the Word.
An old professor of Biology used to old a little brown seed in his hand. I know just exactly the composition
of this seed. It has in it nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon. I know the exact proportions. I can make a seed
that will look exactly like it. But if I plant my seed it will come to nought; its elements will be simply
absorbed in the soil. If I plant the seed God made, it will become a plant, because it contains the
mysterious principle which we call the life principle.
The Bible looks like other books. We cannot understand altogether its marvellous power. Planted in good
ground, it shows that it has the life principle in itself: it brings forth spiritual fruit.
Measurements
When God measures a man He puts the tape round his heart, not his head.
It isnt the size of your bank account and the people of wealth you have met.
The number of dresses and hats that you buy; The amount of regard you can get.
It isnt the size of the house that counts, and the crowds you entertain.
The number of cars that stand outside, and the servants you retain.
The value of jewels upon your hand and the silver that you possess;
The number of miles you have travelled abroad, the important folks you impress.

Its the size of your heart and the sympathy, the breadth of your mind and love.
The value and height of your loyalty that matters to Him Whos above.
Memory System
Forget each kindness that you do as soon as you have done it;
Forget the praise that falls to you as soon as you have won it.
Forget the slander that you hear before you can repeat it
Forget each slight, each spite, each sneer, wherever you may meet it.
Remember every kindness done to you, whatever its measure;
Remember praise by others won and pass it on with pleasure.
Remember every promise made and keep it to the letter;
Remember those who lend you aid and be a grateful debtor.
Remember good, remember truth, remember Heavens above you;
And you will find, through age and youth, that many hearts will love you.
Mercy
A mother sought from Napoleon the pardon of her son. The Emperor said it was the mans second
offence, and justice demanded his death.
I dont ask for justice, said the mother, I plead for mercy.
But, said the Emperor, he does not deserve mercy.
Sir, cried the mother, it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask.
Well, then, said the Emperor, I will have mercy. And her son was saved.
This little incident gives us a good idea of the meaning of mercy. We think of clemency as another word
for mercy, but mercy is the gracious attitude of one who sits in the seat of authority toward one who has
given offence by breaking of the law, or by some violation of those canons of conduct which constitute
offence. This is at least part of the meaning.
Grace is the unmerited favour of God toward the undeserving: mercy is His pitying kindness toward the
hell-deserving. Grace bestows what we do not deserve: mercy does not mete out to us what we deserve.
Transformation
There is a story told of an American who went over to Paris, and, wishing to buy his wife a little gift,
purchased a phosphorescent, a mother-of-pearl match-box container; and the beauty of it was that in the
dark it was said to radiate a wonderful light.
He packed it in his trunk, took it home to the U.S.A., and after the family welcome dinner asked for the
lights to be put out. In the dark he took the match-box container from his pocket to present it to his wife,
but, when he looked at it, it was as black as the darkness around. Then he said, That is just what they
palm off on foreigners. Ive been swindled.

Next day his wife, a bit curious, discovered on the box a few words in French. She took it down to some
friends who had a French maid and had it translated. That night, in the darkness, it was all aglow, for she
had followed the instructions written on the box, which said: If you keep me all day long in the sunlight, I
will shine for you all night long in the darkness.
Trials
A jeweller gives as one of the surest tests for diamonds the water test. He says: An imitation diamond is
never so brilliant as a genuine stone. If your eye is not experienced enough to detect the difference, a
simple test is to place the stone under water.
The imitation diamond is practically extinguished. A genuine diamond sparkles under water and is
distinctly visible. If you place a genuine stone beside an imitation under water, the contrast will be
apparent to the least experienced eye.
Many seem confident of their faith so long as they have no trials; but when the waters of sorrow and
affliction overflow them, their faith loses its brilliancy. It is under these circumstances that the true children
of God shine as genuine jewels.
Virgin Mary
A little lad in Central Africa had learned to read the New Testament in the mission school. Sometime later,
the Roman Catholic fathers persuaded him to be baptized into the Roman Catholic Church.
They gave him a medal to wear on which was a representation of the virgin. 'It will be easier for you to
pray when you look at that,' they said, 'and the mother of Jesus will pray to her Son for you.'
Several months passed, and the boy returned to the evangelical mission. Asked the reason why he did
not go to the Catholics, he said, 'I read in the Gospels that Mary lost Jesus when she was on a journey;
so I thought, if she forgot her own little boy, she will surely forget me: so I am going to pray straight to
Jesus.'
Worry
'Worry,' we are told, is from an Anglo-Saxon word which means 'harm' and is another form of the word
'wolf.' It is something harmful and bites and tears as a wolf which mangles a sheep.
There are times, no doubt, when we must feel anxious because of harm suffered or anticipated by
ourselves or others, and this may be beneficial because it rouses to necessary activity; but often worry
has the opposite effect, paralyses us and unfits us for duty, and also distracts our thoughts and obscures
our vision.
An old story tells of an angel who met a man carrying a heavy sack and enquired what was in it. 'My
worries,' said the man. 'Let me see them,' asked the angel. When the sack was opened, it was empty.
The man was astonished and said he had two great worries. One was of yesterday which he now saw
was past; the other of tomorrow which had not yet arrived. The angel told him he needed no sack, and the
man gladly threw it away.
How Much Worth?
Supposing today were your last day on earth,
The last mile of the journey you've trod,
After all your struggles, how much are you worth?
How much could you take home to God?

Don't count as possessions your silver and gold,

For tomorrow you leave them behind.
And all that is yours to have and to hold
Are the blessings you've given to mankind.
Just what have you done as you've journeyed along,
That was really and truly worthwhile?
Do you feel you've done good and returned it for wrong?
Could you look over your life with a smile?
Giving
The story is told of a farmer who was known for his generous giving, and whose friends could not
understand how he could give so much and yet remain so prosperous.
One day a spokesman for his friends said: 'We cannot understand you. You give far more than any of the
rest of us, and yet you always seem to have more to give.'
'Oh, that is easy to explain,' the farmer said. 'I keep shovelling into God's bin, and God keeps shovelling
back into mine, and God has the bigger shovel.'
Communion
Two friends stood in a large railway station and watched an express train with the most modern of
engines go flying through. 'What a powerful engine!' remarked one of them to his friend, who was the
Station-master of that station. 'Yes!' said the Station-master who was a Christian, 'On the rails. But off the
rails it is the weakest thing in the world. And,' he added, how like the Christian! His power lies in
communion with the Lord and Saviour, but when he leaves the path of communion he is the weakest
person in the world.'
Cleansing
A soap manufacturer, who was an unbeliever, walked along the road one day with a preacher of the
gospel. Said the soap manufacturer: 'The gospel you preach has not done much good, for there is still a
lot of wickedness in the world and a lot of wicked people too.'
The preacher made no reply until they passed a dirty little child, making mud pies in the gutter. Seizing his
opportunity, the preacher said: 'Soap has not done much good in the world, I see; for there is still much
dirt and many dirty people about.' 'Oh, well,' said the manufacturer, 'soap is only useful when it is applied.'
'Exactly!' said the preacher, 'so it is with the Gospel that we proclaim.'
Book of Life
Fred Cowell
Upon the golden seashore sand
I wrote my name one day;
The waves came in and when they left
My name had passed away.
Upon the shifting sands of time
Men write their names today,

But when eternal years roll in

Their names will pass away.
Upon the spotless Book of Life
God wrote my name one day;
Eternal years can never take
That God-penned name away.
My name is there forever
Through all God's endless day;
For He Who died to write it there
Has put it there to stay.
Blood Transfusion
Many years ago the Nobel Prize was awarded to the discoverer of a difference in the quality of human
blood, which had hindered its use in transfusion. Until then transfusion had been a hit or miss
experiment. The donor of the blood might be in perfect health, all conditions might be favourable, but the
patient would die. Now it is known that there are several blood groups. The largest is the most important,
for blood from it will be accepted by most patients though to some it would be poison.
When the haemorrhage has been stopped after a successful operation, the patient, who has lost much
blood, lies pale, listless, exhausted, and it seems that death is only a question of hours. But a suitable
blood has been found, and a transfusion effected. The result is magical. Colour comes back to the lips,
the pulse beats strongly, and the patient will live, for the patient has shared the life blood of the donor and
literally received life from him.
Our Lords statement as to the all-importance of eating His flesh and drinking His blood cannot refer to a
sacrament not then instituted, nor could He mean what the Jews seemed to understand by His words, the
actual eating of the Lords real flesh and drinking His real blood. No! He meant that we must share His
life, for the life of the flesh is in the blood. We must receive Him as food, to the nourishment of our souls.
He must be appropriated as a personal saviour who gave Himself for us and shed His blood for the
forgiveness of our sins. The Son of God is the universal donor. His blood avails for all.
But usually the life-fluid for a blood transfusion is costly. And sometimes, even if the price can be paid, the
patient may belong to a different blood-group from the donor: for there are no universal donors. The most
costly thing in the universe is freely offered to sinners by God. It is the blood of Jesus Christ His Son Who
gave His life that we might receive that eternal life through His death. It is priceless, yet is offered 'without
money and without price'. And it is suited to all sinners, for Christ is the 'universal Donor'.
Consecration
A girl was sent to a finishing school by her wealthy parents. There she learned science, art, dancing and
other things. One night she went to a revival meeting and at the close of the service she accepted Christ
as her own personal Saviour. She gave her heart to Christ, yielded to Him, and decided she would
dedicate her life to missionary service.
She wrote home to her father and told him of her decision. He went into a rage and wrote to her
immediately, saying, Get on the next train and come home.
She obeyed and returned to her home. As her father met her, he said, I did not send you to school to get
religion. That is all right for poor folk and half-wits, but not for a child in your stratum of life. You will have
to get this religion notion out of your head. If by tomorrow morning you have not decided to give up this
foolish notion of religion, you may pack your suitcase and leave this home.

She went to her room with a heavy heart. It would mean loss of love, culture, money, prestige. On her
knees she fought it out. The next morning she packed her suitcase. Before leaving, she stepped over to
the piano and started to play and sing:
Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou, from hence, my all must be:
Perish every fond ambition,
All Ive sought and hoped and known;
Yet how rich is my condition,
God and Heaven are still my own!
She arose, and with tears streaming down her face, turned toward the door. Before she could open it, her
father stepped out from behind the curtain where he had been listening to her playing, and with emotion
said: Wait! I did not know that Jesus Christ meant as much to you as that. I did not know that you were
willing to give up father, mother, home and prestige just for Jesus. Daughter, forgive me. I must be beside
myself. If such a great love can take hold of your heart, there must be something in it. Sit down here and
tell me how I can be a Christian.
Redemptionby the Creator
A little boy worked very hard, and, with a fine piece of wood and some tools, made himself a fine little
yacht. He was very proud of it, and used to go to the lake with the other boys who had their yachts also,
and sail it on the tranquil waters of the lake near his home.
One day it drifted away out of sight, carried by a strong breeze and all the lads effort to reach it or even
follow it with his eye, were unsuccessful.
Some days later, as he was going through the busy street where most of the shops were, he saw the
yacht in a shop window. He went in and claimed it as his lost yacht. But in spite of all his claims, and his
repeated assertion that he had made it with his own hands, the shopkeeper said, if you want it, you must
pay for it.
He returned home, counted up his little savings in his money box and found he had just sufficient to meet
the cost of the yacht. So he went in and bought it back. Youre twice mine! he claimed, as he looked
thankfully and proudly at his little yacht: I made you and Ive purchased you.
Happiness
Where is happiness found? NOT IN WEALTH. John B. Rockefeller, a Christian millionaire, said, I have
made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness. I would barter them all for the days I sat on
an office stool in Cleveland and counted myself rich on three dollars a week. Broken in health, he
employed an armed guard.
W.H. Vanderbilt said The care of 200 million dollars is too great a load for any brain or back to bear. It is
enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it.
John Jacob Astor left five million, but had been a martyr to dyspepsia and melancholy. He said, I am the
most miserable man on earth.
Henry Ford, the automobile king, said, Work is the only pleasure. It is only work that keeps me alive and
makes life worth living. I was happier when doing a mechanics job.
Andrew Carnegie, the multi-millionaire, said, Millionaires seldom smile.

Divisions
Aesop has a fable of three bulls that fed in a field together in the greatest peace and safety. A lion had
long watched them in the hope of making prey of them, but found little chance so long as they kept
together.
He therefore began secretly to spread evil and slanderous reports of one against another till he fomented
jealousy and distrust among them. Soon they began to avoid each other and each took to feeding alone.
This gave the lion the opportunity it had been wanting. He fell on them singly and made an easy prey of
them all.
It is true of Gods people thatunited, they stand; divided, they fall.
Forgiveness
The Duke of Wellington was about to pronounce the death sentence on a confirmed deserter. Deeply
moved, the great General said, I am extremely sorry to pass this severe sentence, but we have tried
everything, and all the discipline and penalties have failed to improve this man who is otherwise a brave
and good soldier.
Then he gave the mans comrades an opportunity to speak for him. Please, your Excellency, said one of
the men, there is one thing you have never tried. You have not tried forgiving him.
The General forgave him and it worked: the soldier never again deserted and ever after showed his
gratitude to the Iron Duke.
Forgivenessfor the Penitent
A Russian prince, through the prerogative of Napoleon, was permitted to bring pardon to one convict in a
French prison. Every person he interviewed professed innocence and said he was unjustly punished
At last he found one who with sorrow confessed his guilt and acknowledged himself deserving of the
punishment.
To him he said, I have brought you pardon. In the name of the Emperor I pronounce you a free man.