Day of Praise

Mon, 03/12/18, "Day of Praise"

Isaiah 1:18 - "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

So, this past week, I went from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa to visit one of my senior church members who can't drive and who was moved from Birmingham a few years ago to be near her oldest child. My friend doesn't get out of her facility much, so she likes me to pick her up and take her to McDonald's for a milkshake, which she always insists on buying one for each of us. After getting my friend settled at a table, I stepped into the restroom where a young boy, maybe six years old, was cleaning the bathroom. I told him he'd be a great Boy Scout, leaving places better than he found them. He said, "I'm not a Boy Scout; I'm a Christian."

And there you have it! A six year old laboring in obscurity for the Kingdom of God, cleaning up other people's messes and leaving places in the world better than they found 'em.

I don't know about you, but it sounds to me like that kid is walking in Jesus's steps and Jesus's power, which is the power of the Holy Spirit.

Oh, that we had more six year olds or 36 year olds or 76 year olds like that kid.

A kid! Who not only reminded me of grown up Jesus and inspired me to keep following Jesus but who also reminded me of some other young kids I observed in another fast food bathroom a couple years ago.

I went into the Men's Room, and there were two little boys, probably 6 and 4, in there. The 6 year old's head barely came up to the sink counter, and he was trying to pick up the 4 year old, who he called Eli, so Eli could wash his hands with soap and water. As I stepped on through, I showed the boys the dispenser for the hand sanitizer and said it would be easier since they wouldn't need the water to clean their hands. As I continued past them, I couldn't help but smile as older brother told Eli to scrub his hands well with the waterless sanitizer, and Eli replied, saying, "This stuff is really neat. Is it Magic Soap?"

Adorable! A tiny, innocent, young child with a name, Eli, that means "My God" who wonders if he's using "Magic Soap." That's the childlike wonder that God wants from us in today's Bible verse, the wonder as to how God can take our sins that are "like scarlet" and make them "as white as snow." My God and Your God, who's Our God, must use "Magic Soap," where no sink is required, just His promise of His Word and a little bit of tiny, innocent, young child-like faith in My God.

It's enough to both make you want to sing "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" and also make you want to go worship and praise God with others ASAP.

So, God bless y'all! Have a Happy day! Watch out for kids who clean bathrooms with the Magical Love of Jesus and believe in the "Magic Soap" of God's Word! And let's praise God that we not only have grown up Jesus to follow but also some not so grown up amazing kids, who inspire us all to truly trust God and act like we're His children!

Praise God!


Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson