One morning I found myself reading from Susan Gregory's Daniel Fast Daily Devotional for Lent. In the day’s reading, Susan wrote of a time when she found a filthy white dish cloth that had missed the laundry run. The cloth was so grungy she had to soak it in bleach in order to clean it. Susan shared that we are also covered in dirt and grime. Our sins have made us as filthy rags that only the blood of Jesus can cleanse (Isaiah 64:6). Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we have all be cleansed of our sins and made whiter than snow (Psalm 51:7).
After reading this I realized that my first reaction to finding the dirty cloth was not to clean it, but to simply throw it away! Why take the time to soak and clean a dirty cloth when it can be easily replaced with another one? With that thought, I immediately asked myself what would have happened if God had that same opinion about us. What if His initial thought of our sin covered race was to simply throw us out and start again? We don’t deserve another chance. Why go to all of the trouble to send His Son to die in our place when He could just create another race of humans?
The answer is love. John 3:16 says God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. Because of His love for us and His desire to see us restored to Him, God did not just turn up his nose and toss us in the trash. He didn't give up, but instead He gave His Son to die on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ blood has washed away our filth and made us whiter than snow!
Thank you Lord for loving us enough to send your Son to save us from our sins! Thank you for not throwing us away, but instead holding us close and bringing us back to you!
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