Bill had a message to deliver. He searched the dark street until he found number 18, and his loud knock startled the man inside.
Perhaps that man did not like to be disturbed. Maybe he wanted a little fun. He shouted his answer through the closed door, “Go around to the back!”
Now it is not always wise to do everything you are told. There are signs everywhere telling you what to do, where to go, and what to buy, and we need to know whose voice to obey. You can’t test them all. Where can you find a voice of authority? We are promised, “Thy [God’s] Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105105NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)). “The entrance of Thy words [gives] light; it [gives] understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130130The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130)).
Bill found his way to the back of the building . . . and suddenly he was ankle deep in freshly poured cement!
Maybe that was a funny feeling. You and I probably remember wiggling our toes in warm sand on the beach, but Bill was not thinking about the funny feeling. He knew that this was not a place to stay, and his repentance was fast and real.
Do you know what repentance means? It means to change your mind or to regret something and turn away from it. Let’s see how Bill’s repentance caused him to make some changes.
First, he changed direction, and that’s exactly what repentance does. Then he walked straight out of that mess, which he would have done even if he had had to leave his shoes behind. And he didn’t go back in.
First, you listen to the voice of God, not of others who tell you that it really doesn’t matter that you are a sinner. Second, you turn around and face the opposite way. Third, you can count on God to give you the strength to walk out.
Bill carried some of the mess out with him. Yes, and you will too. Perhaps the outward marks and stains of sin will remain for a lifetime. But Bill was free. Would you like this freedom from the hold of sin? “If the Son . . . shall make you free, [you] shall be free indeed” (John 8:3636If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)). Perhaps you will leave behind some of the fun you once enjoyed, but the Lord Jesus promises that He will give you His joy. His is deep joy which the world cannot give or take away.
Maybe the man inside had a good laugh at Bill’s problem, but Bill was not a quitter. He delivered his message. And when he got home, he had a good cleanup.
Never mind if as a Christian you still carry the outward marks and stains of sin. When you are at home in the Father’s house, you will have a new body without a trace of sin or its results.
ML-09/29/2002