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Themes Salvation Transformation DAD THE ROCK HOUND Have you ever heard of a rock hound? A rock hound is a person who collects pretty rocks and minerals. When I was growing up, my Dad had a large rock collection. He was a rock hound! He went into mines and caves looking for valuable rocks and crystals. He wore a miner's lamp and a hard hat. He carried heavy chisels and hammers in his backpack. Having a rock collection was hard work!
His collection was very pretty. I remember looking at the bright colors and interesting shapes in the large, glass display case. His collection came from many different places around the world. There were big, white crystals and little red gems. He had a piece of sooty, black coal from a coal mine. He even had a South American emerald!
One day, I noticed some very plain rocks in the glass case. They were not brightly colored or flashy crystals. They didn't look very valuable. They were just ugly brown rocks. I wondered why Dad would put those old things in his nice collection. Then, he showed me something amazing! Dad took a special lamp, called an ultraviolet lamp, and shined it on the plain rocks. They turned brilliant, glowing colors! Some were neon orange and bright, glowing red. One was an eerie, glowing blue. How special those ugly rocks became! Rocks that turn bright colors under a special lamp are called fluorescents. People can't see the bright colors of fluorescents without the ultraviolet light. A long time ago, the Lord told a man named samuel, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart" (I Samuel 16:7). Sometimes, people think that God will look at them on the outside, like I saw the rock collection. We might try to make ourselves look good enough like pretty rocks in a case. We may try to be good, treat others nicely, or listen to preachers and Sunday school teachers. Some people think God will see them trying to be good and let them into Heaven. However, that is not true! Inside, our hearts are full of ugly sin. Because of our sins we are not fit for Heaven. As the Bible says, "There is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Psalm 53:3). My Dad's fluorescent rocks were ugly and worthless on their own. But, they became beautiful and valuable under the light. The Lord jesus said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). Just as the ultraviolet light shone on those plain rocks and made them valuable, the Lord Jesus can make our sinful lives valuable to God. He said, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46). The Lord Jesus died to put away the ugliness of our sins forever. Won't you trust him to save you and make you right for Heaven today?
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Shelly McKenna
