05/01/2018
Do you think that you are too far gone to be salvaged? Are you too embarrassed to come before Jesus and ask for forgiveness and a new life? When you look at your past do you think it is too filthy and torn to ever be made new once more? Well think again because the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away any stain, and mend the holes in every garment in life.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 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. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
Romans 3:23-25 ESV
My wife is known to our family as a stain doctor. She can remove virtually any stain you can imagine from clothing. As a matter of fact, our children will often bring over articles of their family’s favorite clothing that have been stained for her to restore. Our grandchildren will even say “take it to Mimi” when they are being chastised for ruining some article of their clothing. Although Ann is really good at this, she will readily tell you that she does has her limits... although I can’t recall her failing to bring any article back to life. It seems to be a rule that no one gets punished before Mimi has had a chance to redeem them.
There was one item recently that was especially stained, and looked ruined.... one of our grandsons had rolled up a sweaty wet jacket and stuffed it down in his school backpack where it remained for many days. One afternoon his mother was searching for a school paper the teacher said she sent had sent home with every student (sound familiar Moms?), and there was the jacket... she didn’t even want to touch it! The end result was a garment covered with mildew spots... and should have been a throwaway. Needless to say, most folks would have thrown it away, and the damage was just about to be met with severe punishment from my daughter, but the “Mimi Rule” was applied. Ann stepped in and brought the jacket home with her where she began working her famous laundry magic. It took several days and many washings, but eventually the jacket was as good as new, and my grandson was spared punishment; all by a grandmother’s love.
In a sense, Ann is to my children’s clothing what Jesus is to lives. The only difference is that Jesus never fails to restore a life. No matter how incredibly stained or torn a person is He can repair them and bring them before our Heavenly Father redeemed, restored, reconciled, and righteous.
“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 ESV
There is no unclean or unsavory life we lead that Jesus can’t restore to purity, and make righteous. You may have been doing horrible things, your sins might look to be untouchable (like my grandson’s jacket), and you might make people gag at your smell... but Christ can make you clean and fresh; taking away the stains and the odor of your sins. Jesus Christ uses his own blood, given in sacrifice, to wash you clean.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
It really doesn’t matter whether your sin looks like a tiny little spot of grape juice on the front of a shirt, or a large black stain from a ballpoint pen that has just leaked in your pocket... they are the same to Jesus... gone. The only question is: are you ready to take that shirt off and give it to Him?
Our penitence, and desire for forgiveness is all that stands in our way. Are you ready to pull out your dirty laundry, take off that filthy shirt you are wearing, remove your undershirt where the stains have soaked through, and say to Jesus... “Help me Lord! Make me clean! Restore me to my Father!”?
“The penitent sinner who turns from his sin to God needs only faith in the power of the blood —- faith that it has atoned for sin and that it has atoned for him. Through that faith, he knows that he is fully reconciled to God and there is now nothing to hinder God’s pouring out on him the fullness of His love and blessing.” - Andrew Murray
Jesus can wash us clean of any stain, but do we trust in that fact? Do we have faith enough in Him to make take that final step? Are we ready to stand with Him before God in garments washed clean, and mended? Jesus can do this... will you come to Him; can you?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your forgiveness, and for the cleansing blood of your Son Jesus Christ. I thank you Father for the grace you provide all who have sinned, if only they will have faith in His blood, and your mercy and grace. Satan would have us believe that we are beyond salvation, and that our blemishes are permanent. He whispers to us that he is our only friend, and that you have cast us off, but that is just another of his lies. If you are someone reading this prayer today and you want to change your life then pray this with me:
Help me Father to overcome my doubt and unbelief. Help me to confess one sin and see how perfectly Jesus restores me... then help me hand him the next, and the next, and the next... until my faith is such that I know Jesus will take all of my sin, and will make me instantly new in Him. Give me confidence in your grace, Father, because in this world I have been taught to doubt all things and all people... I have been conditioned to believe that nothing is true, and no one genuine. Help me to see past my own wretched condition, past the things I have done to survive alone in this world. Be with me now Lord, and help me to trust in a new world, and a new life in you. Forgive me Father, and know that I desire to be yours always, and to follow Jesus beginning at this very moment! Amen!
Rich Forbes