Laundry. Most days it gets done without paying attention to much as it gets done routinely.
And then there are days, where the most ordinary of tasks stirs thoughts.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin.”
(1 John 1:7, NIV)
I have done a few things in my life for which I am not proud of, and would not boast on either. Truth be known, I would rather not even think about them. But every once in a while, they come back to mind. You know why?
Because “sin whispers.” In the still of the night, when we are all alone, sin comes with its hiss bringing up the past, the silent reminder.
It is in the silence, we must remind ourselves of God’s forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross.
We are no longer a people who are living habitually in sin. We do not enjoy the darkness which once encompassed us. Now we live in the determination to choose God’s light as our place of dwelling.
When the regret and shame come to haunt us, we can respond j, “He is faithful to forgive us and we stand purified, clean from it all.”
Let’s return to the laundry for a second …
When doing laundry, an article of clothing may be soiled or dirty. After going through the wash cycle, there are times when a faint outline of the stain can be detected. But when Scripture uses the word purified, it means significantly more.
“Purified” carries a powerful thought as explained by John Stott:
“The verb [purifies] suggests that God does more than forgive; he erases the stain of sin.”
(as quoted in What Love Is by Kelly Minter)
There is no ring or mark where the stain used to be.
It is as if the stain never happened.
And that, my friends, is the Good News of the gospel!
Reflection:
Does sin ever come whispering to remind you of the past? How do you
handle those moments? Today may you walk in the assurance you are
forgiven and God no longer sees your sin.
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.”
(Isaiah 43:25, NIV)
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
Taking those thoughts captive by replacing them with the Word of God is a game changer. The devil never gives up--but I am so glad God is the overcomer!
ReplyDeleteThe enemy of our souls never gives up. He will wait so patiently for an opportune time. May we remember the precious gift of forgiveness afforded to us.
DeleteIt seems I have more trouble with past, forgiven sins coming to mind as I get older. It's so good to remind ourselves of what God has done with out past sins--not only forgiven them, but blotted them out. Recently when I was reading another book on this topic, the writer shared a line from "O For a Thousand Tongues" that blessed me:
ReplyDeleteHe breaks the power of cancelled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.
That song comes to mind so often! Yes, we are forgiven but there is such power in the reminder our God has blotted them out completely. May we always remember the precious and powerful blood of our Savior.
Delete