Rosie had plenty of paper and pencils, but she liked to do her arithmetic on her own blackboard. She had just finished about five or six problems, when she asked her mother to come and see if they were right. Carefully, mother began going over the adding, the subtracting, and the multiplying. Suddenly she found a mistake; the very first question was wrong! Up went the chalk and a big X was marked right over Rosie’s work. Then she looked at the next question, and sure enough it was wrong too. Another X was added, and soon the blackboard began to look such a sorry sight that Rosie began to cry.
“Oh, mother, do let me rub it all out and start over again.”
Mother took a sponge and wiped the whole board clean and then she sat down by Rosie and began to talk solemnly.
“Do you know what I was thinking of when I saw that blackboard so spoiled and crossed with mistakes?”
“Tell me, Mother.”
“I thought of that verse, ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23). You know, Rosie, every sin leaves a stain on your heart, so that it looks much worse in the sight of God than that blackboard looked to you just now.”
“Oh, Mother, what shall I do?”
“Would you like all those sins to be rubbed out?”
“Indeed, I would.”
“The Bible tells us, The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’”
Rosie was silent for a few moments and then she turned and knelt beside her mother and prayed something like this:
“Dear Lord Jesus, please do wash away all my naughty sins and cleanse my wicked heart with thy precious blood, Amen.”
That wasn’t a very long prayer, was it? But I am very sure it was heard and answered in heaven. And Rosie knew it too, for a little time after she told one of her friends, “I know all my sins are gone for Jesus has rubbed them all out. He cannot see them, the angels cannot see them, and I cannot see them, and nobody will see them anymore.”
Have you ever done as Rosie did, or is your heart still stained with sin in the sight of God? Do come to Jesus right now and He will cleanse you forever.
ML 02/12/1956