Let Us Take Advantage of Our Opportunities
By C. W. Davis
We who have been blessed by being born of Christian parents and in a professedly Christian country, do not fully appreciate our privileges for serving Jesus, until we have closely compared our opportunities with those of a heathen child. While in Canton, China, I wished to present a Bible printed in the Chinese language, to a boy of about nineteen years, who was in my employ. I thought that he would be eager to accept my gift, as he was a poor boy; but to my surprise he refused it, saying, “Master, if I were to accept that book which talks of the foreign man’s God, my father would thrash me, and turn me out into the streets, and not allow me to return again, and I would be ill used by those who worship the Chinese Joss.” On another occasion I had a map of the world before him, and was trying to teach him the formation of the earth. “Now,” said I, “this part represents America, and this Europe, and this China.” He said that he thought he understood me, but when I pointed to the dot which indicated Canton city, and said, “This is Canton,” with a smile he replied in broken English, “He belong too small em.” How one’s heart goes out in pity as one sees the thousands about their various occupations who have never heard of Jesus as the Saviour of the world. When that name is mentioned among many, it is as the detestable foreign man’s God. They know little or nothing about things outside their sphere of daily routine. Brother Wilbur was taking passage from Canton to Hongkong, and as he was having a few words with one and another, he met a Chinaman, who said, “I want to be a Christian, but do not know how.” Who will go into the heart of China, among its millions, for the sake of those who want to be Christians, but who do not know how? Ought not we to be thankful who have so many advantages to help us to live Christian lives, so many willing hands to help and encourage us to do something for Jesus? Why not give earnest heed to all our lessons, and seek for that wisdom which cometh from above, so that we may be truly wise, and be ready to say, should God call us to go to a heathen land, “Here am I; send me.”