Have you ever looked down at a plain, old, number 2 pencil and thought, “This pencil is a great preacher!” Probably not, right?
But number 2 pencils can point out to us a great truth that we see in Scripture.
At the end of the pencil is a rubber tip—the eraser. This small device is preaching to us. The eraser is there because pencil manufacturers anticipate our need for it. Why? Because we are guaranteed to make mistakes. It is human nature.
Romans 3:23 says this:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GoD
Romans 3:23 (ESV)
We are going to do things we should not have done.
We are going to say things we regret.
We are going to react to situations in ways that are selfish.
We are going to sin.
In spite of this, God delivers his grace.
The following verse says this:
… and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
Romans 3:24-25a
The number two pencil is evidence of our fallen nature. If we were perfect, pencils wouldn’t have erasers. So when we make a mistake on paper, we can erase it, and our stray marks disappear. However, we cannot do that with our sins. We have no ability to clean up our own mess-ups before God. He knows all, seen and unseen.
That is why Jesus came. The Son of God has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He erases our guilt, but with his blood.
So the next time you write with a pencil, pay attention to the sermon it preaches. Let the eraser be your reminder that you are not perfect. You never will be.
However, you are loved by someone who is perfect, and he has provided a way for your redemption.
Bee-Attitude
Blessed are you who have been forgiven by God’s grace, for Jesus has erased every wrong.
Grant Turner is the editor of the Barnesville Buzz and an educator, coach, and writer based in Barnesville, Georgia. He shares stories that bridge community, faith, and personal growth. In addition to teaching and coaching, Grant is Director of Musical Worship and a Sunday School teacher at New Hope Baptist Church in Zebulon, Georgia. He lives in Barnesville with his wife, Haley.
