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He didn’t appreciate the gospel tract which was handed to him, and in a rage, he tore it up and threw it to the ground. However, God had other purposes in view, for a portion of the tract was picked up by the wind and fell at the feet of an aged man who was the keeper of a saloon.

Was it curiosity or the intervention of God which led that aged sinner to stoop down and pick up the piece of torn paper? I believe it was the latter, for that paper contained the very message needed by his hardened heart.

He reached the saloon, and in the failing light of that winter day, he read the words: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Your Sins. How those words burned into his soul! It was useless to make excuses for himself, for he felt and knew he was a sinner. His past rose up before him like a dark mountain, prepared to separate him from God and happiness forever.

As Scarlet. Yes, indeed, his sins were deep dyed, and he felt his own inability to wash away his guilty stains.

Red Like Crimson. His case seemed hopeless. But, he thought, could it really be true that the great God who had borne with him for so long was patiently waiting for a sinner like him to come and talk with Him? Yes, praise His Name, God was inviting him. Putting down the piece of paper carefully on the table, he went upstairs and poured out his tale of sin and repentance to the ear of the One who never refuses to listen to a contrite cry from a sinner. Prayer soon turned into praise, for the message received through the torn paper picked up by the wind had done its work, and the aged sinner found rest in the waiting Saviour.

Several hours went by and a man who had been playing a barrel organ in the town went to the saloon for refreshment and warmth. The scrap of paper was still on the table, and the man, thinking it of no use, picked it up and was about to use it to light his pipe by the fire. “Stop,” said the old saloon keeper, eagerly taking the paper from his hand. He could not have handled the paper more carefully if it had been a hundred dollar bill. Smoothing it out, he read to the astonished ears of his visitor the wonderful message that God had used in his salvation, but alas, it fell upon dull ears, and the man quickly left to resume his journey.

It was a cold, frosty night when he left the saloon. What happened next no one knew, but in the early hours of the morning, some men going to work saw the poor organ grinder, doubled up at the side of the road, dead! He was gone, gone to meet God! He had heard the message. Did he heed it? His last opportunity was past!

Reader, your opportunity is right now. “Now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). God’s word to you is, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). Confess your sins to God and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. His shed blood on Calvary’s cross will wash you white as snow. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Don’t turn away from God’s gracious invitation to “come” to Him with all your sins. He will do for you what He has done for millions—save eternally and give you peace and satisfaction. “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

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