Daily Devotional for March 24, 2021
Ragamuffin (Part 1)
“C’mon, Ella,” said Anthony. “We need to take out the trash for Dad.”
“Okay,” said Ella, and together they hauled empty boxes and papers out to the big bin behind their father’s store.
Anthony lifted the trash bin cover, but he slammed it back down quickly. “Ella, there’s something in there. I saw it move!”
Ella laughed. “Yeah right. You’re just trying to scare me.”
“I’m not! I’m telling the truth.” Anthony pulled up the lid again and poked at the trash with a stick. Hearing a loud moan, Ella screamed, and Anthony dropped his stick and the trash bin cover.
Dad rushed outside. “I heard a scream. What’s wrong?”
“There’s something in there,” Ella said, pointing to the trash bin.
“Really?” Dad approached it and looked inside. “It’s a puppy!” he exclaimed. He lifted the little dog from the bin. “How’d you get in there, little fella?”
“A puppy!” said Anthony. “Cool! Can we take him home, Dad?”
“Ugh!” Ella made a face. “He smells! Mom won’t want him in the house.”
“He’s a mess,” Dad agreed. “We’ll get some doggy shampoo and give him a bath when we get home. We’ll see if we can find him a home.”
When Mom saw the puppy, she was wary of him at first, but then she took pity on him too. “I think Ragamuffin would be a good name for him,” she said.
“Why?” Anthony asked. “I’ve never heard of that name.”
“It’s a word used to describe someone who’s ragged and dirty,” Mom explained.
“Then let’s not call him that!” said Ella. “That’s not a nice name.”
“I don’t know—I think it fits him, but you can choose something else,” Mom said. “In any case, he’ll make a good illustration for my Sunday school lesson tomorrow. What you did for him, Jesus did for us—and even more! Spiritually, we were like ragamuffins. He found us dirty, lost, and trapped in our sins. He reached down to rescue us. He loved us when there was nothing lovable about us.”
The puppy barked, and Ella laughed. “He agrees with you, Mom. I think he’s glad he’s been rescued. But I’m going to think of a nicer name!” • Jan L. Hansen
How about you?
Would you call yourself a ragamuffin? Spiritually, that’s what you’re like without Jesus. But God loves you anyway. He sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue you from sin. Don’t try to clean up yourself—you can’t do it. You need to trust Jesus as your Savior. Have you done that? If not, ask Him to rescue you today! (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)
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