Shall Be White As Snow

The following verse was included in my devotions for today, and I'm so thankful, that even though I've read this verse many times in the past, the Lord showed me things today which I've never saw before!

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
Isaiah 1:18

When I read this verse, my thoughts drifted back to all the snowy days I enjoyed growing up in Central Pennsylvania.

Bundled up from head to toe!

Building snowmen!

Taking walks in the winter wonderland!

Having snowball fights!

Catching snowflakes on my tongue!

Sledding down the "big hill" in our side yard, that's what our family called it! And it WAS a mighty big hill when you were flying down it on your Flexible Flyer sled or as this picture depicts on your handy-dandy plastic saucer! And it was an even bigger hill when you had to trek back up it in the slippery snow!

YES, that is me "flying" down our big hill on my blue plastic saucer with one of my big brothers keeping a watchful eye on me!!  

Now that I have been a Floridian since 1989, I shudder at those thoughts and gotta grab a sweater when the temperature drops below 70!

But I do treasure the memories of the beautiful, fresh fallen, pure white snow.

Untouched by the grime of the traffic.

Before the sun begins to turn it into a slushy mess.

Free from dirty boot marks and imprints left by children's messy mittens!

As I was doing my devotions, I reread the verse from Isaiah and this time the first few words almost knocked me off my seat!

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord."

Just let those words sink in for a few moments!

The Lord of ALL the universe is inviting me, inviting you, to come and reason together with Him!

WOW!

May we never ever take for granted the awesomeness that the Lord invites us to come and reason together with Him!!

Reason: "To discourse; to endeavor to inform, communication of thoughts or reasons."
Definition by Webster's Online Bible Dictionary

This does NOT mean that we get to argue with the Lord!

He invites us to come to Him to hear and obey His instructions, His commands, His words of encouragement and comfort.

According to this verse, what exactly does the Lord want to reason with us about?

Our sins!

Remember how I talked just a few moments ago about how beautiful and pristine the snow looks before the traffic, the sun and the kid's mittens get to it?

Well, our sins are like the grime of the traffic, that slushy mess from the sun, the dirty boot marks and the imprints left by the children's messy mittens!

Ugly

Dirty

Messy

Grimy

Leaving imprints and impressions

Not a very pretty picture is it?

A stark contrast to the fresh fallen, pure white snow.

In the verse above God specifically tells us our sins are "as scarlet, red like crimson".  

What exactly does that mean?

Most of the commentaries which I used as research tools, wrote that Isaiah the prophet was describing the vibrant dyes which were obtained from the eggs of small insects which lived in oak trees.

Clothing would be double-dyed in this very vivid red dye so that the color would become permanent. 

Nothing could remove it. No amount of rain, or washing or even long usage could take away the color.

That describes our sins to a "T".

Nothing we do on our own can ever wash away our sins.

No amount of money given to the church

Baptism

Doing good works

Being a kind person

Reading your Bible

Being a member of a church

Nothing you can humanly think of.

Sin is rooted in the heart of every single person.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
Romans 3:23

Only God has the power and ability to take away our sins.

The way God chose to cleanse us from our sins was to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die and shed His blood on the cross at Calvary.

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
I Peter 1:18-19

The innocent, SINLESS blood of Jesus Christ shed to cleanse me of my sins.

Shed to cleanse you of your sins.

But I must accept what Jesus did on the cross.

You must accept what Jesus did on the cross.

It's not enough just to have head knowledge about Jesus dying for our sins.

We need to make it personal!

I must personally accept the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as payment for my sins.

You must personally accept the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins.

Not trusting in anything or anyone else to forgive you of your sins.

The shed blood of Jesus making reality, "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

ONLY JESUS!

Philosophy says, "Think your way out."

Indulgence says, "Drink your way out."

Politics says, "Spend your way out."

Science says, "Invent your way out."

Industry says, "Work your way out"

Communism says, "Strike your way out."

Fascism says, "Bluff your way out."

Militarism says, "Fight your way out."

Religion says, "Pray your way out."

Jesus Christ says, "I am the way (out)"

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
John 14:6

If you would like more information on knowing what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus, PLEASE don't hesitate to contact me at barb@castingyourcare.org or leave me a message on the main page under the prayer request tab.

What can

wash away

my sins?

NOTHING

but the blood

of Jesus!

Oh, precious

is the flow

that makes

me white

as snow!

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May God Bless You,

Barb