"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature." - Mark 16:15

I remember the first girl that ever caught my eye.  (I have my wife's permission to tell this story. ;-) We were in second grade together.  (Up until this point I just wanted to throw rocks at girls. ;-)  Her name was Sherri and she was as cute as anything I had ever seen. 

She had short little pigtails on her head, wore the sweetest little dress with a great big teddy bear on it, had the prettiest smile with that middle tooth missing...and she could jump out of a swing farther than any of us.  She was great.

I remember one day she passed me a note during class and it read, "Do you love me?"  I didn't even know what love was, but I learned early that girls like to hear that you love them, ;-) so I checked, "Yes" on the note and passed it back. 

At recess that day she came up to me with a big smile on her face and said, "Say it."  By this time I had no idea what she was talking about.  "Say what?"  I replied.  "Say that you love me."  It kind of embarassed me, but I went ahead and said, "I love you."

The next day she came up to me and said, "Do you really love me?"  "Yes," I replied.  "Do you mean it?  A lot of the boys tell me they love me, but some of  them don't mean it."  Even at the tender age of 7 I knew the right answer to this one.  "Of course I mean it."  That satisfied her for the day, but on the following day...

She came up to me again and said, "If you love me and you mean it, then why don't you show it?"  "Good grief," I was thinking.  I let her have my special GI Joe eraser, I stopped pulling her pigtails, I even made Tommy and Billy stop calling her names.  What more did she want? 

"You're supposed to hold my hand," she said with a stern look on her face.  "And play with me at recess.  And sit next to me during free time...you're supposed to show it."

Almost twenty-five years have passed since that day.   It always makes me laugh when I think back to that second grade class.  It also always amazes me how God can use the ordinary events of life, even that of a 7 year old boy, to teach us about Him.

For instance, God asks the same questions that the little girl asked me.  "Do you love me?"  Quickly we check off the appropriate box, "Yes.  Of course I love you, God." 

"Then, say it."  He responds.  "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." (Psalms 107:2)

"I love you, Lord," we say with a smile, particularly on Sunday mornings or during our daily prayers.

"Do you mean it," He asks.  "Because a lot of people say that they love me, but some of them don't mean it. 'This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." (Mark 7:6)

"Of course, I mean it," we quickly answer.

"Then show it."  God concludes.  "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

Christian, do you love God this morning?  Do you really love Him?  If you do...SAY IT, MEAN IT, SHOW IT.  Say it with your words, mean it in your heart and show it with your actions.

After all, that's what He did for you when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross. 

Have a "Wonderful DAY in Christ,"
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!