Scars for the Saviour
"From henceforth let no man trouble me;for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus"-Gal.6:17.
One of the most touching tales I ever heard was told by Dr. Bob Jones,Sr.,as he swayed a great Los Angeles audience in the Church Of the Open Door during a conference on Evangelisim.He related how two avowed atheists,after being blessed by God with a little bundle of preciousness from Heaven,stood by the sleeping infant's crib and swore to themselves that the fair-haired girl would never hear favorably of Jesus Christ.How Hell must have rejoiced in that devilish covenant of death!
Years sped by and the poor child never did hear the lovely name of our Lord Jesus except as it was used in vile profanity.However,God,in His amazing providence,saw to it that one afternoon she was passing by a store-front mission just as the workers were conducting a Bible club for children.Attracted by the happy,enthusiastic singing of hymns and choruses.the little girl paused at the door to listen.A kind mission lady noticed her,invited her inside and,when the simple srevice was concluded,kept her behind to explain more fully about this One whom she did not know.
Giant crystalized tears flowed swiftly and silently down the little one's cheeks as the worker related the beautifully sweet old story of the cross and its Christ of compassion.Since she had never before heard of His great love,how truly wonderful it sounded in her little ears and heart!That very afternoon,at the mission,while her parents wallowed in intoxication at home,the precious darling lass took the Lord Jesus Christ into her heart and life,receiving Him as her very own personel Saviour and Lord.
She couldn't get home fast enough!How anxious and eager she was to tell her parents the good news about a Saviour who loved all sinners and who had just saved her!She supposed they surely did not know anything about Him and she wanted to be the first to tell them.Her little legs would not move fast enough,and her lungs tired too quickly to suit her.
When she finally did reach home,she bounced into the kitchen where her parents where drinking,told them what had happened,and then begged them to let Jesus come into their hearts as well.Instead,the druken father rose to his feet, went to where he kept the rawhide whip hanging on the wall,and began beating her unmercifully.The blood flowed freely down her back,but he did not stop until her dress had been torn to shreds and she had fallen unconscious to the floor.After a considerable delay the inebriated mother carried the girl to her room,undressed her,and put her to bed.
The next morning found the girl in the throes of a burning fever.When home remedies failed to bring it down,the now sobered and worried mother called in a doctor.He diagnosed the trouble as pneumonia and for about three days medical science battled vainly to save her life.When it became apparrent that she was sinking,the kindly physician called the parents in to give them the bitter news.
How broken they were!They loved their baby dearly in spite of what had been done.Sin had caused it!If they had been sober enough to know what they were doing,they would never have treated her as they did.The insanity of sin had simply found them out,even as it does others who subcomb to its wiles.Tearfully,the father on one side and the mother on the other,they went to stand at their darling's bed.
As the sorrowing mother held the fevered hand,the little girl looked up and said,"Mama,do you still have the dress I had on the other day when I accepted Jesus?"
The mother replied,"Yes,Darling."
"Has it been washed yet?"
"No,"the mother responded."I haven't had time to do much of anything since you got sick.It hasn't been washed."
"Good!"the little girl exclaimed feebly."May I have it?"
"Of course,my dear,you may have anything you want,"the mother replied.
She went and brought the dress,giving it to her dying daughter.Then the girl asked for a pair of scissors and permission to cut the dress.Both were promptly given and the girl fondly fingered the torn,stained garment for a few moments,then carefully cut out a portion of the bloodiest part.
When the curious mother could contain herself no longer,she said,"Sweetheart,tell Mother,why are you doing that?"
The girl responded by clutching the torn strand tightly in her hand,then looking up into her parent's face,smiling with the dew of Heaven upon her lips,as she said,"Mother,I feel all so strange.My chest hurts me so.It's so hard to breath that I feel I must be dying.Soon I'll see Jesus,the wonderful ONE who died on the cross for me,the ONE who suffered such terrible agony to save me.And,Mother,when I meet Him I want to give Him this piece of my dress to show Him that I had an opportunity to bleed just a little bit for Him,too,before I died."
Dr.Bob Jones Sr.
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