Removed

“'Come now, let us argue this out,' says the Lord. 'No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool...'" Isaiah 1:18

The first snowfall of the year always seems to be the most dazzling. The flakes are so clear in flight they appear to be translucent. It's only as they accumulate that the brilliant white is truly revealed. It's remarkable to me how spellbinding it is to watch those flakes drift down so effortlessly out of the sky. And then, once the clouds roll on and the brilliant sun strikes those collected flakes, it's as if a switch has been flipped to reveal a spotless and radiant carpet of light.

I believe God was appealing to his people using just such a scene to powerfully communicate what it means to be forgiven by God. He alone is uniquely positioned to do the impossible -- remove any vestige of the stains of sin from our lives. Flawless. This thought is so difficult for us that he invited them and I believe us to "argue this out." "But God", we say, "my sin is so dark, so awful, so hideous." He replies, "I will remember it no more."

Too many of us are wasting our time trying to do what only God can do ... to clean ourselves up. "I've got to get my act together before I turn to God." Jesus came because it's not possible to clean ourselves up. He came to remove the stains of sin and all the guilt and shame that comes with it. We need to be reminded every day of our less than perfect lives, that because of Jesus, nobody's keeping score.

Grace and Peace,

Tom Wiles
tom@fallcreekchristian.org

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