A Stinky Situation

Bible Reading: Romans 5:6-9

Leo watched his ball roll under the shed, then he dropped his bat and crawled in after it. As he scooted under the edge, he spotted a pair of glowing eyes. A cat, thought Leo. He crawled closer. “Here, kitty,” he called. The animal turned. Oh no! thought Leo. A skunk! Before he could scramble to safety, the skunk sprayed, and Leo was covered with an awful smell. “Mom!” he yelled. He hurried to the outdoor faucet, turned on the water, and tried to wash away the dreadful odor.

Mom came out of the house and put her hand up to her nose. “We need to get those clothes in the washer right away, and you need a shower with lots of strong soap,” she said. “And your hair! Wait here.” She hurried back into the house and returned with a can of tomato juice. “Put your head under the faucet,” she said.

Leo looked at the can of tomato juice. “What are you going to do with that?” he asked.

“Tomato juice is supposed to help cover the smell,” Mom explained. “I’ll see what else I can find, but for now this is the best I can do.”

When Dad heard the story, the skunk smell still lingered. “I thought it was a cat,” said Leo. “I was going to pet it.” Dad laughed. “Not funny!” said Leo, but he grinned too.

“Skunks leave a bad odor, but do you know what smells even worse?” asked Dad. Leo shook his head. “Sin,” said Dad. “You could say sin stinks.”

Leo nodded. “I tried to wash off the skunk smell, but I needed help. We need help getting rid of the sin smell too, don’t we? Something better than tomato juice!”

“Yes, we do,” said Dad. “We need God’s help. The Bible says only the blood of Jesus can get rid of the smell of sin. When we ask Him to forgive us and be our Savior, He comes and removes the guilt of our sin.”

“That’s right. Just like that,” Mom said, snapping her fingers. She sighed. “I wish we could do as good a job getting rid of that skunk smell,” she added, wrinkling her nose. “Let’s go wash your hair one more time!” – Angela Jenkins

How About You?

Has your sin been removed by the blood of Jesus? The Bible says everyone has sinned and done wrong. That includes you! Sin stinks, and no matter what you do, you can’t get rid of the smell. Only Jesus can wash the guilt of your sins away. Come to Him today and trust Him to make your heart clean. (See “The ABCs of Salvation” in the column to the right.)

Today’s Key Verse:
Romans 5:9 Having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus can remove the guilt of your sin