Isaiah 1:18
Come, let’s talk this over, says the Lord; no
matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you
as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as
crimson, I can make you white as wool!
The Living Bible copyright
© 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Thanks
to Pinterest and posts on Facebook, I have a new favorite stain
remover. It’s a concoction of 3% hydrogen peroxide, water, and a few
drops of Dawn® dish soap! For things like shower grout and other tough
stains, I found a recipe that also adds baking soda. I mixed all of
these ingredients in a spray bottle that I purchased at Dollar Tree®. A
few hours later, I heard this little hissing sound in my laundry room.
The “power” of this mixture caused the plastic to swell and spring a
tiny hole…and the cleaner was spraying out onto the counter!
I
moved the cleaning solution to a sturdier container, and I made a mental
note that this was obviously strong stuff! I love to spray the shower
tile and watch the grout brighten – with little to no scrubbing. When
Zola spilled ketchup down the front of her dress, I sprayed the
peroxide/Dawn mixture on the stain, dabbed at it with a damp cloth, and
all traces of ketchup totally disappeared. It feels good to know that I
am able to clean even the deepest of stains and not harm the soiled
surface – or the environment. And this solution smells fantastic!
I
am amazed that a combination of ingredients that will clean shower
grout, remove ketchup stains and more, and disinfect in the process is
also incredibly gentle. I feel safe using it around children and
pets…and confident that things are really clean. If you stop and think
about it, you could apply this to Jesus. He is the most gentle, loving,
kind and caring Friend we will ever know…and yet, He can make all of
our sins disappear with a whisper. He can literally wash us as white as
freshly fallen snow or lamb’s wool. It doesn’t matter how old or deep
the stain is…or how huge and ugly the blemish appears…Jesus can erase it
all with His powerful yet gentle touch.
It doesn’t matter who
you are or how hard you try…I’m willing to bet you have at least one
stained garment in your closet or drawer…and a stain or two of sin on
your heart. We are human, imperfect…in need of a good washing from
Jesus Christ. And He is the ultimate “Stain Remover.”
There is
no need for us to be martyrs…to carry our sins and blemishes around
like some sort of “badge of shame.” Jesus is ready, willing and able to
remove them all. He’s waiting…with arms wide open…saying, “C’mon…let’s
talk this over. I can fix things.” Aren’t you ready to let Him? Will
this be the day that you truly “come clean?”
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label wiping the slate clean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wiping the slate clean. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for July 28, 2014
Hebrews 10:11-18
Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:
This new plan I’m making with Israel
isn’t going to be written on paper,
isn’t going to be chiseled in stone;
This time “I’m writing out the plan in them,
carving it on the lining of their hearts.”
He concludes,
I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.
Once sins are taken care of for good, there’s no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I’ve been helping my cousin Natalie with a makeover project on her kindergarten classroom. After 17 years of teaching, she was ready for a “room re-do.” She found several ideas that she liked online and in stores, and we melded them into a cohesive “look” using the graphic design and photo editing programs on my computer.
When I was teaching in the late ‘70s and early-to-mid ‘80s, we didn’t have computers that created labels and artwork with the click of a mouse. We didn’t know about fonts and Adobe Photoshop® and color printers. I spent days and weeks coloring individual name tags and characters that I had printed out in black and white...outlining with a Sharpie® marker, then carefully cutting, pasting and laminating everything together. We thought our results looked pretty good, but compared to the slick pieces that are possible today, our classrooms were downright crafty!
I stopped by the school to see Natalie’s progress, and she showed me her wall display for color words. Each color word was printed on a card – in that particular color – and outlined in a matching polka-dot border. But there was a gap. She said, “I realized when I hung them that there was not a card for the color brown. I messaged the person who designed these, and she said that she doesn’t have a template for brown. So I am going to print a black and white copy and color it in...then cut and paste letters to make the word ‘brown’ for the center.” I stopped her...”I can do all of that on the computer.” Her eyes lit up. “You can?” “I’m pretty sure I can make that all work,” I told her. She sent me her file, and I was able to do in a matter of minutes what would have otherwise taken her hours...if not a whole day.
In recent years, I’ve thought about the things that my fellow teachers and I spent hours and days working on that are accomplished now with the click of a button. I have asked myself how we did it all...and the short answer is that we gave up our nights, weekends, holidays and summers to prepare classroom materials and displays for our students. It’s a wonder we found time to teach! And quite frankly, there were times when we were drowning in mountains of paper work and “busywork” that we barely made a dent in the primary goal of presenting lessons and reaching academic objectives!
As I read this scripture passage, I thought about this...and about how many times we go around in circles, somewhat chasing our tail as we try to accomplish things that we do not have the adequate tools or skills to undertake. Like teachers everywhere, we spend a lot of energy trying to figure out a “work-around” that will suffice...and often, we are more than a little disappointed with the results – if not downright wearied by them. And nowhere is this more evident than in our attempts to muddle through life on our own...to do the same things over and over while hoping for different outcomes. We often think we know so much more than we really do...or feel that our way is sufficient, if not better, than God’s. And this is when we make a huge mess of things.
It’s MORE than a good thing that God is so merciful and tender with us. We truly have no clue just how blessed we are that He sent Jesus to pay for our sins...once and for all. I love the sentence...”It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people.” This sums up Jesus beautifully. This description grasps the essence of His grace and mercy over us...and demonstrates His love for us. He made us perfect...unblemished...pure and whole...and we could never have done this on our own, no matter how long or hard we tried.
I’m grateful for our present-day technology – even the vast array that I do not fully understand! I love how computers can make things look so neat and pretty. I am even more appreciative of the love and tender care of Jesus...how His single sacrifice accomplished what I never could. Now I am heaven bound, fully forgiven for my sins, and free to love others in His name and share the Good News that this gift extends to them, as well! I know that the price He paid was anything but simple...far more than the click of a button! And I recognize the tremendous love and commitment that He demonstrated on my behalf.
When I sent back the file to Natalie with the “brown” color card, she responded, “You saved the day!” In the scheme of things, this was not a big deal on my part. I just happened to have experience in pressing buttons and “cutting and pasting” on some pretty amazing and powerful computer programs! But Jesus wiped the slate clean with His own blood on the cross...once and for all...and truly saved us from a life of sin and eternity in Hell. Have you let Him know how grateful you are for this amazing sacrifice? Isn’t it time you did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:
This new plan I’m making with Israel
isn’t going to be written on paper,
isn’t going to be chiseled in stone;
This time “I’m writing out the plan in them,
carving it on the lining of their hearts.”
He concludes,
I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.
Once sins are taken care of for good, there’s no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I’ve been helping my cousin Natalie with a makeover project on her kindergarten classroom. After 17 years of teaching, she was ready for a “room re-do.” She found several ideas that she liked online and in stores, and we melded them into a cohesive “look” using the graphic design and photo editing programs on my computer.
When I was teaching in the late ‘70s and early-to-mid ‘80s, we didn’t have computers that created labels and artwork with the click of a mouse. We didn’t know about fonts and Adobe Photoshop® and color printers. I spent days and weeks coloring individual name tags and characters that I had printed out in black and white...outlining with a Sharpie® marker, then carefully cutting, pasting and laminating everything together. We thought our results looked pretty good, but compared to the slick pieces that are possible today, our classrooms were downright crafty!
I stopped by the school to see Natalie’s progress, and she showed me her wall display for color words. Each color word was printed on a card – in that particular color – and outlined in a matching polka-dot border. But there was a gap. She said, “I realized when I hung them that there was not a card for the color brown. I messaged the person who designed these, and she said that she doesn’t have a template for brown. So I am going to print a black and white copy and color it in...then cut and paste letters to make the word ‘brown’ for the center.” I stopped her...”I can do all of that on the computer.” Her eyes lit up. “You can?” “I’m pretty sure I can make that all work,” I told her. She sent me her file, and I was able to do in a matter of minutes what would have otherwise taken her hours...if not a whole day.
In recent years, I’ve thought about the things that my fellow teachers and I spent hours and days working on that are accomplished now with the click of a button. I have asked myself how we did it all...and the short answer is that we gave up our nights, weekends, holidays and summers to prepare classroom materials and displays for our students. It’s a wonder we found time to teach! And quite frankly, there were times when we were drowning in mountains of paper work and “busywork” that we barely made a dent in the primary goal of presenting lessons and reaching academic objectives!
As I read this scripture passage, I thought about this...and about how many times we go around in circles, somewhat chasing our tail as we try to accomplish things that we do not have the adequate tools or skills to undertake. Like teachers everywhere, we spend a lot of energy trying to figure out a “work-around” that will suffice...and often, we are more than a little disappointed with the results – if not downright wearied by them. And nowhere is this more evident than in our attempts to muddle through life on our own...to do the same things over and over while hoping for different outcomes. We often think we know so much more than we really do...or feel that our way is sufficient, if not better, than God’s. And this is when we make a huge mess of things.
It’s MORE than a good thing that God is so merciful and tender with us. We truly have no clue just how blessed we are that He sent Jesus to pay for our sins...once and for all. I love the sentence...”It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people.” This sums up Jesus beautifully. This description grasps the essence of His grace and mercy over us...and demonstrates His love for us. He made us perfect...unblemished...pure and whole...and we could never have done this on our own, no matter how long or hard we tried.
I’m grateful for our present-day technology – even the vast array that I do not fully understand! I love how computers can make things look so neat and pretty. I am even more appreciative of the love and tender care of Jesus...how His single sacrifice accomplished what I never could. Now I am heaven bound, fully forgiven for my sins, and free to love others in His name and share the Good News that this gift extends to them, as well! I know that the price He paid was anything but simple...far more than the click of a button! And I recognize the tremendous love and commitment that He demonstrated on my behalf.
When I sent back the file to Natalie with the “brown” color card, she responded, “You saved the day!” In the scheme of things, this was not a big deal on my part. I just happened to have experience in pressing buttons and “cutting and pasting” on some pretty amazing and powerful computer programs! But Jesus wiped the slate clean with His own blood on the cross...once and for all...and truly saved us from a life of sin and eternity in Hell. Have you let Him know how grateful you are for this amazing sacrifice? Isn’t it time you did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for May 25, 2014
2 Corinthians 5:17
When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Yesterday, we added another member to the Robus family when Ellie Grace made her entrance into the world at 7:50 a.m. Weighing in at 8 pounds 9 ounces and measuring 20¾” long, this daughter of Leslie and John (who is Greg's nephew) is new and fresh…and “the world is her oyster”! Ellie Grace is a blank canvas…all of her life stretches before her. For the moment, she is pure and unblemished. As she grows and progresses, she will develop characteristics and personality traits - and find her place in the world. She will make her presence known…and at some point, she will form opinions and attitudes – from the first time she spits out a green veggie she doesn’t like to the day she goes off to college and makes countless choices all by herself.
But for now, she is flawless and unencumbered…without a care in the world! Her parents will handle everything…feeding, changing, bathing, cuddling and protecting her. All she has to do is snuggle against them and settle in for lots of naps and hugs - and goofy looks and coos from the adults who will adore her.
Each and every one of us has more than a few years “under our belts”. And with those years comes baggage…lessons we learned…mistakes we made…bad choices and poor decisions…guilt – and maybe even a heavy dose of shame in many cases. Don’t you ever wish you could just wipe the slate clean and start over? Maybe you have done this, so to speak. If you’ve given your heart to Jesus, this was essentially what He offered you - new life…a brand new start…a chance to pull out a fresh sheet of paper and let Him paint a new masterpiece that would represent your life in Him.
The problem is that many of us invited Jesus into our hearts…then pretty much went right back to our old lives. We didn’t embrace what God offered us through the blood of Jesus – for any number of reasons – and as a result, our lives are anything but restful and peaceful. Our old lives of sin bring with them a boat load of turmoil…and too many of us are wallowing in this needlessly!
It’s time to embrace our new life in Christ…to truly rest in the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Salvation through the blood of Jesus…to snuggle against His chest and be soothed by His love and kindness. We must never become complacent. There is a difference between resting in the LORD and “resting on our laurels” or becoming smug and lazy. Christians are called to work and to serve…but we are also offered help with the burdens. Jesus offers to carry the brunt of the load and give us the rest and peace that we so desperately need.
We cannot literally return to the simplicity of that first year of life that awaits Ellie Grace…but we can enjoy all of the rest and peace that Jesus offers when we give our hearts to Him. Have you accepted His gift of Salvation and truly left your “old life” behind in exchange for the new one He offers? Regardless of when you initially surrendered to Christ, this can be the day that you start to truly live your “new life” in Him. Are you ready to begin the “first year of the rest of your life” in Christ - and fully rest in His blessings?
©2014 Debbie Robus
When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Yesterday, we added another member to the Robus family when Ellie Grace made her entrance into the world at 7:50 a.m. Weighing in at 8 pounds 9 ounces and measuring 20¾” long, this daughter of Leslie and John (who is Greg's nephew) is new and fresh…and “the world is her oyster”! Ellie Grace is a blank canvas…all of her life stretches before her. For the moment, she is pure and unblemished. As she grows and progresses, she will develop characteristics and personality traits - and find her place in the world. She will make her presence known…and at some point, she will form opinions and attitudes – from the first time she spits out a green veggie she doesn’t like to the day she goes off to college and makes countless choices all by herself.
But for now, she is flawless and unencumbered…without a care in the world! Her parents will handle everything…feeding, changing, bathing, cuddling and protecting her. All she has to do is snuggle against them and settle in for lots of naps and hugs - and goofy looks and coos from the adults who will adore her.
Each and every one of us has more than a few years “under our belts”. And with those years comes baggage…lessons we learned…mistakes we made…bad choices and poor decisions…guilt – and maybe even a heavy dose of shame in many cases. Don’t you ever wish you could just wipe the slate clean and start over? Maybe you have done this, so to speak. If you’ve given your heart to Jesus, this was essentially what He offered you - new life…a brand new start…a chance to pull out a fresh sheet of paper and let Him paint a new masterpiece that would represent your life in Him.
The problem is that many of us invited Jesus into our hearts…then pretty much went right back to our old lives. We didn’t embrace what God offered us through the blood of Jesus – for any number of reasons – and as a result, our lives are anything but restful and peaceful. Our old lives of sin bring with them a boat load of turmoil…and too many of us are wallowing in this needlessly!
It’s time to embrace our new life in Christ…to truly rest in the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Salvation through the blood of Jesus…to snuggle against His chest and be soothed by His love and kindness. We must never become complacent. There is a difference between resting in the LORD and “resting on our laurels” or becoming smug and lazy. Christians are called to work and to serve…but we are also offered help with the burdens. Jesus offers to carry the brunt of the load and give us the rest and peace that we so desperately need.
We cannot literally return to the simplicity of that first year of life that awaits Ellie Grace…but we can enjoy all of the rest and peace that Jesus offers when we give our hearts to Him. Have you accepted His gift of Salvation and truly left your “old life” behind in exchange for the new one He offers? Regardless of when you initially surrendered to Christ, this can be the day that you start to truly live your “new life” in Him. Are you ready to begin the “first year of the rest of your life” in Christ - and fully rest in His blessings?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)