Does not this encourage us to do what we can to tell others of the love of Jesus Who died on the Cross that we might be saved?
We can all pray that God will call us to work for Him; and surely, if He does call and we listen to His Voice, He will teach us how to bring many to righteousness, and earn "the crown of glory that fadeth not away!"
[XXII. As a Hen Gathereth Her Chickens]
Not long before our dear Lord Jesus was crucified, He was walking one day in the streets of Jerusalem.
He had been telling the Scribes and Pharisees that they were trusting in their own goodness, but were far-off from the Kingdom of God.
His loving heart was filled with pity for those who would not come to Him to be saved.
Do you not remember how He had said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!"
He longed to have the poor, sorrowful people find joy and rest in Him. Had He not said at the very beginning of His teaching that He had come to bind up the brokenhearted?
So on this day as He passed along through the streets, He noticed a hen with her chickens round her. Perhaps He paused to watch them as they ran hither and thither. Perhaps He heard the hen give a sudden warning cry, and watched the little chickens respond to it by running with outstretched wings to the shelter of her feathers, beneath which they nestled serene and safe from all alarms.
And then the tenderness of the heart of Jesus comes out so beautifully!