pramsay posted on May 07, 2009 05:54 2260 views

The Stain Remover

Some stains come out easily but others are stubborn. Some stains won’t budge even with the priciest brand name detergents or home remedies. You can read and re-read the instructions and follow them closely but the reality is – the stain is permanent. You have to throw the shirt out or set it aside for paintballing or doing yard work.

It’s one thing to encounter an immoveable, detergent-resistant fabric stain but what about a deep-dyed heart stain? There are people who carry with them the shame of a stain throughout their entire life. They have tried every possible detergent in life to remove it, cover it, hide it or weaken its color. But it’s still there.

Maybe you have something in your life that has caused such a stain. Other spots don’t bother you as much – but there is one big stain you just can’t put behind you. In fact, it haunts you. When people use the ‘skeletons in your closet’ phrase in a conversation – it feels like they must know all about your secret from the past that continues to hound and haunt you to this very day.

What do you think this verse means:

“.the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

(1John 1:7)

Look at it this way:

Allallall allall  all  allallallallallallall sin

To say that the little word ‘all’ is a fairly inclusive term is a gross understatement. All is totally inclusive and an all-encompassing word that leaves no room for exceptions of any kind.

What can wash away my stain? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.

We feel the effects of sin and the sin-stain blots our memory and plagues our conscience but the other reality is that same sin was first and foremost against God. We may excuse ourselves; the person injured by our wrongdoing may forgive us and the person’s circle of friends may forgive and forget – but what about God? Has the sin-stain been removed from His eternal records?

God in all His Holiness can only forgive sin based on the blood of His beloved Son. Christ bore sin’s full penalty at the Cross. He shed His blood. His blood became the righteous basis upon which God can forgive all sin – past, present and future.

The value of His blood has nothing to do with its chemical composition. It has everything to do with the preciousness of His Person – the Lord Jesus Christ.

My initial appreciation of His cleansing blood started the day I trusted Christ for salvation. But I continue to appreciate His precious blood because of its continuing efficacy as I stumble and sin. When I sin as a Christian, I can turn to 1John 1:9 and put my finger on the verse and breathe out its beautiful words in my prayer of confession to my God: “If I confess my sins (as a Christian), He is faithful and righteous to forgive me my sins and to cleanse me from ALL unrighteousness.”

His precious blood is the basis of all forgiveness.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

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