Sometimes little children say funny things because they misunderstand something we tell them. That’s what little Penny did.
Every day after supper the children would repeat the Bible verse they were learning for Sunday school the next Sunday. The verse they were learning that week was Proverbs 14:99Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor. (Proverbs 14:9): “Fools make a mock at sin.”
When it was Penny’s turn to repeat the verse she looked up at her father and said, “Daddy, I thought Indians made moccasins.”
Daddy laughed, “Yes, Penny, Indians do make moccasins.” Then he repeated the verse, saying each word very distinctly, “ ‘Fools make a mock at sin.’ That means they do bad things and laugh and say they are having lots of fun doing them,” he explained.
Then he went on to say, “Did you know that there’s another verse in Proverbs 26:1212Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. (Proverbs 26:12) that says, ‘Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.’ That means that even if you are very naughty, and even if sometimes you are having fun when you’re being naughty, Jesus still loves you. He died for people like that. And if such a person would turn to the Lord Jesus and confess how bad he has been, God would forgive him because the Lord Jesus died on the cross to save sinners. So even if you have been a fool and have made a mock at sin, if you tell the Lord Jesus you are sorry and that you want Him to forgive you, He will.
“However, if you are wise in your own conceit, it means you think you are okay just the way you are and don’t need to be forgiven. That is simply not true. The Bible tells us that every one of us is a sinner, and we all need to confess to God that we are sinners and need to be forgiven.
“So I hope you won’t be a fool who thinks it’s fun to be naughty. But remember, it is even worse to be naughty and think that you’ll get along all right without God.”
Penny was thoughtful for a minute. Then she said her verse:
ML-09/10/2000