February 28

"Jesus was the fountain of healing mercy for the world; and through all those secluded years at Nazareth, His life flowed out in currents of sympathy and tenderness. The aged, the sorrowing, and the sin-burdened, the children at play in their innocent joy, the little creatures of the groves, the patient beasts of burden,--all were happier for His presence. He whose word of power upheld the worlds would stoop to relieve a wounded bird. There was nothing beneath His notice, nothing to which He disdained to minister"

         Desire of Ages, page 74 from the chapter, 'As a child'

    There I was sitting in the barber’s chair. “Number 3 all over” was my request. We talked, I mentioned that I’m a Christian, which all of the rest of the people in the barbers already knew. This barber was new to my hair and my style. She mentioned that she was an atheist. The conversation led me to realise that she had made her decision on her current spiritual health based on bad information.

     I love the story of Jesus’ early life in Nazareth. He must have been a treasure of a child to have around the village. It all fits of course. His later life reflected His early life. Though, as they say, “Like Father, like Son.”

     Not everyone gets the right information. Some odd stories get passed around. There is an ancient book called, ‘The Infancy Gospel of Thomas’. Such strange stories are recorded there. One has the account of Jesus making birds from clay and bringing them to life. That doesn’t fit with the later life of Jesus, nor does it fit in with the nature of God.

     One of your roles in life as a faithful believer is to reveal the true nature of God. Your role, should you choose to accept it, is to demonstrate that Jesus is alive in your life, so that people see who Jesus really is.

Perhaps you could come up to Lincoln and say a few more appropriate words to a lady barber who has been left with something to think about?