POWER OF LOVE
During the course of a lecture, a Bishop referred to a Sunday school teacher, who began his classes in a slum. With all good intentions, he brought together the poor children, spoke to them of the love of God and inspired them to live the life beautiful.
Finding that their clothes were dirty, tattered and torn, he said to them, “I shall get you new clothes. You must wear them every Sunday morning as you come to attend the class.”
Every boy received a beautiful dress.
On the following Sunday, he found that one of the boys was missing. He made inquiries and was told the boy was a gambler.
The Sunday school teacher went out in quest of the boy, found him, and got him another set of clothes. The boy attended the Sunday class for the next two or three weeks, but again disappeared.
The teacher found that the boy had once again bartered his clothes and gambled away money.
Yet again, he went up to the boy, met him in love, spoke to him with tenderness.
He said to him, “Forget what has happened. Take these new clothes, and be regular in your attendance at the Sunday classes.”
This was repeated as many as thirteen times. No less than twelve times, the boy sold the clothes, but the teacher’s patience was not exhausted. His love was boundless, unquestioning, unconditional, it demanded no explanation; it needed no apology. A transformation was wrought. The boy turned over a new leaf.
The love of the teacher transformed the boy and made him new.
The bishop concluded his lecture with the words; “I know this is true, because I was the boy!”
It is love which reclaims. It is love which transforms.
Sermons or lectures do not touch the hearts of the people, the power of love does.
.
During the course of a lecture, a Bishop referred to a Sunday school teacher, who began his classes in a slum. With all good intentions, he brought together the poor children, spoke to them of the love of God and inspired them to live the life beautiful.
Finding that their clothes were dirty, tattered and torn, he said to them, “I shall get you new clothes. You must wear them every Sunday morning as you come to attend the class.”
Every boy received a beautiful dress.
On the following Sunday, he found that one of the boys was missing. He made inquiries and was told the boy was a gambler.
The Sunday school teacher went out in quest of the boy, found him, and got him another set of clothes. The boy attended the Sunday class for the next two or three weeks, but again disappeared.
The teacher found that the boy had once again bartered his clothes and gambled away money.
Yet again, he went up to the boy, met him in love, spoke to him with tenderness.
He said to him, “Forget what has happened. Take these new clothes, and be regular in your attendance at the Sunday classes.”
This was repeated as many as thirteen times. No less than twelve times, the boy sold the clothes, but the teacher’s patience was not exhausted. His love was boundless, unquestioning, unconditional, it demanded no explanation; it needed no apology. A transformation was wrought. The boy turned over a new leaf.
The love of the teacher transformed the boy and made him new.
The bishop concluded his lecture with the words; “I know this is true, because I was the boy!”
It is love which reclaims. It is love which transforms.
Sermons or lectures do not touch the hearts of the people, the power of love does.
.
