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Y

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ears"); document.writeln(" ago, R. G. Lee told a powerful story about a mountain school that had a"); document.writeln(" hard time keeping a teacher. It seems there was a group of big, rough "); document.writeln("boys who took pride in running the teacher off. The biggest and roughest"); document.writeln(" of them all was named Tom.

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\"A new young teacher won over the "); document.writeln("boys, however, by letting them write the rules for the school—which were"); document.writeln(" very strictly enforced with a rod. For example, cheating would be "); document.writeln("punished with five strokes of the rod, and stealing with ten strokes, "); document.writeln("both to be given with the offender\'s coat off.

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\"Everything went "); document.writeln("well until one day Tom\'s lunch was stolen. A frail little boy in "); document.writeln("hand-me-down clothes that were too big for him admitted his guilt. The "); document.writeln("school rules demanded that he be whipped. When the teacher called the "); document.writeln("little fellow up front, he came whimpering and begging to leave his coat"); document.writeln(" on. The pupils insisted he obey the rules and take off his coat. When "); document.writeln("he did, a deathly silence settled over the room, for he had no shirt on "); document.writeln("and his emaciated body looked like skin stretched over bones. The "); document.writeln("teacher gasped and dropped the rod. He knew he could never whip that "); document.writeln("little boy.

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\"Suddenly, big Tom strode up and stood between the "); document.writeln("two. \'I\'ll take it for him, Teacher, for after all it was my lunch he "); document.writeln("stole.\' He shrugged out of his coat.

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\"At the third blow the switch broke, and the teacher threw it in the corner and said, \'That\'s all, school dismissed.\'

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\"The frail little boy laid his hand on big Tom\'s arm and through his tears said, \'Thank you, Tom, it would have killed me.\'\"1

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And"); document.writeln(" that\'s exactly what Jesus did for you and me when he died on the cross "); document.writeln("on Good Friday some 2000 years ago—he took your and my punishment for "); document.writeln("all our sins so we could be freely forgiven and given God\'s gift of "); document.writeln("eternal life.

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\"For God so loved the world that he gave his one "); document.writeln("and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have "); document.writeln("eternal life.\" Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and, if so, "); document.writeln("have you accepted God\'s full and free pardon? You can do that right now "); document.writeln("by clicking on the God\'s Invitation link at the bottom of the page.

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1. Cited on www.sermons.com "); document.writeln("

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This and other articles by Richard (Dick) Innes can be read online.

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ACTS International

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