Four-year-old Mark ran across the kitchen and tugged on his mother’s arm. “Look, Mom,” he said happily, “I made my name. See, MARK.”
His mother looked down at the childish letters and was pleased.
All that week Mark practiced writing his name. By the time the family went to the gospel meeting on Sunday evening, he could write it quite well.
The first hymn they sang was,
Gazing on the Lord in glory,
While our hearts in worship bow,
There we read the wondrous story
Of the cross - its shame and woe.
Mark’s mother had helped him find the place in his hymn book. As Mark studied the words he was surprised. There was his name! He tapped his mother on the arm, whispering as he pointed to the second verse, “Look, Mom, they’re singing about me.”
His mother smiled, but Mark listened very carefully as they sang the second verse that included his name:
Every mark of dark dishonor
Heaped upon the thorn-crowned brow,
All the depths of Thy heart’s sorrow
Told in answering glory now.
Little Mark didn’t like the sound of those words, “dark dishonor.” He became very serious. And certainly it is something to be serious about - that Jesus, the Lord of glory, would come to earth to bear our dark dishonors, our sins, in His own body on the cross.
Mark squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.
Soon they were singing a second hymn. There it was again! His name was in it as clear as could be. “MARK,” he spelled out again. By this time he was almost in tears. Again he listened carefully as the people sang:
Mark the sacrifice appointed!
See who bears the awful load!
’Tis the Word, ’tis God’s anointed,
Son of man and Son of God.
“See, I told you they were singing about me,” he whispered again.
Later that night when his mother was tucking him into bed a happier Mark said, “I asked the Lord Jesus to save me tonight, Mommy.”
“That’s wonderful!” his mother answered. As she gave him a good-night kiss and turned out the light her heart was full of joy to know that her little boy had come to the Saviour to have all his “dark dishonors” washed away. “Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:77I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)).
Does the thought of your sins make you squirm in your chair? Why not tell the Lord Jesus that you are truly sorry for your sins and want Him to wash them all away? Here is His wonderful promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)).
ML-07/02/1995