To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, July 19.

By Andrew McChesney

What special gift have you received from God? Is your gift a big smile that can brighten the whole room? Is it a strong arm that can help do chores around the house? Or is it fast feet that can help run errands?

Eight-year-old Japhet wasn’t sure that he had a special gift. But then the pastor called his parents to compliment his voice.

“Your son has a good voice,” the pastor said. “He should be given an opportunity to preach next Sabbath.”

Japhet was surprised to hear that he had a good voice. He had never thought that his voice was anything special. But the pastor insisted that his voice was different. Some boys spoke so low that they could barely be heard. Other boys mumbled their words so that they could barely be understood. But Japhet spoke clearly and loudly. Japhet had never thought about preaching. But he felt good and excited about the idea. The pastor sent him a sermon to learn by heart. The sermon was about Jesus coming soon.

Then Japhet saw the five pages of the sermon, and he felt a bit scared. But his parents encouraged him to try. Dad said he could practice the sermon in front of him and Mom. So, that evening, Japhet placed a high stool in the living room. It would be his pulpit. Standing behind the stool, he placed the five pages of the sermon on it and prayed, “God, please use me as a vessel to speak to your people.” Then he read the sermon. It wasn’t easy. He was reading the sermon for the first time. When he finished, he prayed, “God, may my parents whom I have preached to understand what I said.”

Mom gave him a hug and encouraged him to keep practicing. “You have some work to do, but it was actually good,” she said.

Japhet resolved to try harder.

The next day, Monday, was very busy. Japhet didn’t have time to review the sermon before preaching it to his parents that evening. But when he finished preaching, Mom said it was better than the first time.

Japhet resolved to try even harder.

The next day, he read the sermon 15 times before preaching. Every time he had a free moment, he read the sermon. That evening, he found it much easier to preach the sermon. Mom was very pleased.

“This time it was really good!” she exclaimed. “You didn’t make any mistakes.”

Japhet felt really good.

On Wednesday, he read the sermon nine more times. In the evening, Mom said he had done his best yet. But on Thursday, Mom told him not to read the sermon.

“You need time to relax,” she said.

On Friday evening, Japhet practice-preached the sermon one last time.

On Sabbath morning, Japhet felt a bit scared. But when he stood behind the pulpit in church, he sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit. He prayed, “God, please use me as a vessel to speak to Your people.” Then he preached that Jesus is coming soon. At the end, he prayed again, saying, “God, may the people whom I have preached to understand what I said.”

People thanked Japhet after church. They said his voice was a special gift from God.

“You are a very good preacher,” said one person.

“You should become a pastor one day,” said another.

That Sabbath was the first day that Japhet preached in church. But it wasn’t the last.

Today, Japhet is 11 years old, and he has preached a number of times in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.

Japhet said that he is glad that God has given him the gift of speaking (see 1 Peter 4:9–11) but that he isn’t the only child with a gift from God. He said every child has a special gift from God.

“I would like to encourage other children to use their spiritual gifts and talents that God has provided,” he said.

Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help children learn about the God who gives good gifts to His children. Part of the offering will be used to give children their very own Adventurer’s Bible in Zambia and in other countries of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 27.