O n e of my favorite hobbies is col lecting unusual pencils. While travelling around the country I find some which have a peculiar interest to me. Some pencils are long, remind ing us of those who live long lives and write upon many hearts. Some are short revealing the brevity of our days. Some pencils have large leads at their center. People, too, have large or small hearts. God wants us to have kind ten der hearts that will make an impres sion for Christ upon those whom we meet day by day. My pencils are of various colors, representing the five great races of earth. Every human being has a heart; each one has some purpose in life. Pencils, of course, do not grow in the woods. They must be made by an in telligent person. Man, too, has to be made by a Wonderful personal God. Pencils represent death. The wood was once a living thing which had to be cut down, split, trimed, painted, and made to conform to the plan of the maker. What a picture of our wonder ful Saviour. He gave up His life at Calvary that we might have eternal life in Him. A pencil must have a new heart. The wood is taken out and a new heart of graphite is inserted. The old heart of a sinner cannot be used in writing the story of God’s grace. A new heart is given to the soul who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for sal vation. Pencils must be sharpened to be of any use. Not every Christian can say, “I am ready to preach the gospel.” The world must be laid aside. The Holy Spirit must sit on the throne of
the new heart. The Word of God must fill the mind; self must be denied. We need to ask the Lord to keep us sharp, ready for His service. I have a very large pencil in my collection which looks like it could be a wonderful writing instrument. It is, however, a hypocrite. It can make no mark at all. There are people like that who claim to be Christians; they live nice clean lives, but all of this is mere ly a form. They have never received a new heart from God; they have not been brought face to face with Jesus Christ. Some of my pencils are auto matic; the lead must be forced out. The Christian, in the hands of the Spirit of God, will find himself twisted and turned by the Lord so that he may write better than he knows. One of my pencils is very expensive while another cost only a penny. Which one do you think writes the better? That is right. They both write the same if they are held by the same hand. The Christian himself is in the hands of Christ. He may be a wealthy, well educated individual, or an in significant member of the community. Most pencils bear the name of their maker. God, too, brands His sheep with His grace and salvation. The devil leaves his mark upon men, too. How tragic this is. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can erase the marks of sin. It may be some people write a better let ter (living epistle) than others. That isn’t because they have a better pen cil, however, it is because they are con trolled by the Spirit. Let the Lord guide; not only your hand, but also your entire life day by day. 6
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