A lady gave a soldier a gospel paper. Somehow it got back to her highly decorated. She handed it to me for inspection. The art-loving soldier had drawn across the inside page a portrait of his sergeant. Various writings were on the margins. One of these was, "Mark, learn and inwardly digest." This was written over an incident entitled, "Deeper than scarlet—whiter than snow.”
The story told about a young man who had been given a verse in Isaiah. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. 1:1818Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18).
The receiver had sneered; but the text stuck to him. He professed infidelity; but he could not get rid of the words: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”
He denied responsibility, and said he didn't care if his sins were "scarlet," He did not want them made "white as snow." But even as he repeated the words, they gripped him. They drove him to a gospel meeting. There the preacher gave out as his text: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”
The story continued: "This convinced the young man that he had to do with God. He left the meeting a believer in the Lord Jesus, saved and cleansed from his sins.”
The text was repeated ten times on the page; and the soldier had so read and marked it that each time it occurred he had underlined it. As I saw these markings I said: "The man who has thus played with God's Word will be caught.”
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb. 4:1212For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12).
Soon afterward we received a postcard from the lady who had given me the paper.
"I must send you a line, dear friends, to tell you the joyful news. That dear khaki-clad boy who so highly decorated thee tract we showed you has turned up soundly converted. He is now one with us at the Hall.”
"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together," and let us never be discouraged.
HAVE YOUR SINS BEEN WASHED WHITE AS SNOW?