White as Snow!
“‘Come now, let’s settle this,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.’”
Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)
God wants to settle the differences between you and Him. He longs to rescue us, redeem us, and restore our lives! He knows the sin that has separated us from Him and stained our lives. You don’t have to live with that stain anymore! Your conscience can be clean again! No more guilt or shame to nag you day after day. The prophet, Isaiah, was given this promise from the Lord - and it works today! He can remove the stain of sin! In Isaiah 1:18 (NLT), God extends a personal invitation to you and me when He says, “‘Come now, let’s settle this,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.’”
“Crimson was the color of a deep-red permanent dye, and its deep stain was virtually impossible to remove from clothing. The stain of sin seems equally permanent, but God can remove sin’s stain from our life as He promised to do for the Israelites. We don’t have to go through life permanently soiled.” (Life Application Bible notes)
That’s the good news of the Gospel! Gospel means “good news”! Christ came to offer His life to pay the penalty for our sins. That’s how much God loves you! If you’ve ever questioned your value, God says, “You are so valuable that you’re worth dying for!” Because of the cross, Jesus can forgive and remove our most indelible stains! David had such a blot on his life! After his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder to cover it up, his sin was exposed! Broken, he cried out to God, “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:2 (NIV)
What about you? Would you like to settle the account of your sin with God? You can! The Bible says, “… the blood sacrifice of Jesus, God's Son, washes away every sin and makes us clean.” 1 John 1:7 (ETRV)
No other cleansing agent will work to remove the stains of sin in our lives and set us free from a guilty conscience. No medication, no therapy. In Jeremiah, the Bible says, “No amount of soap or lye can make you clean. I still see the stain of your guilt. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!” Jeremiah 2:22 (NLT)
To settle the account with God, we must confess our sins to Him. In verse 9 of First John, the Bible says, “… if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Water baptism is such a beautiful picture of the cleansing power of Jesus that makes us white as snow! Hundreds experienced the refreshing power of God in baptism at our Super Summer Baptism and Student Beach Week. It’s not too late for you to experience the same! If you would like to settle your account with God and follow Him in believer’s baptism, I want to personally invite you to join us at a Woodlands Church campus near you this weekend for our Super Summer Baptism 2 celebration. You can register now! He can remove the stain of sin and make you white as snow!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.