I thought the travel cup was empty. I found out differently
when I tried to open the car door with it in my hand. The cup tilted over and
coffee ran down my hand into my sleeve, staining my white shirt.
I was on my way to a party at my sister’s house and had
stopped to pick up my mom. I quickly ran into mom’s and tried blotting out the
coffee with some dish soap, water, and a tea towel. I finally gave up, thinking
I could just wash it when I got home.
Later that evening, when I took the shirt out of the washing
machine and examined the sleeve, the stain was still noticeable. Thankfully,
because it was white, I could soak it in some bleach and it was good as new.
Verses one and two of Psalm 51 speak of removing another
kind of stain—the stain of sin in our lives.
“Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.”
Sin is a stain we can’t remove on our own. Just like my
efforts to remove the coffee stains from my shirt required something stronger—bleach,
sin requires more than our own feeble attempts to “make things right”, to “wipe
the slate clean”. God must intervene. And He has. When His Son, Jesus died on
the cross, it was in payment for our forgiveness; it is the solution that
removes our sin. 1 John 1:7 and 9 tell us that the blood of Jesus washes us
clean and purifies us from all unrighteousness.
As we begin a new year, many of us are wishing we could wipe
away past wrongs and failures, and promising to improve situations and
circumstances in our lives. If we want a fresh start, God offers us the best resolution—put
our faith in Jesus as our Savior and Deliverer from sin. It’s a great way to
start this new year—with a new life lead by God.
Be encouraged!
Pam©2019 Pamela D. Williams
Comments welcome via Facebook
or writepam71@gmail.com.
