Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you!! Happy winter also, as we have snow! Beautiful snow though. This morning I made Mexican pies, and Al’s cookies and cleaned the apartment. I’m sure we will enjoy our walk this afternoon in the fresh snow!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
What a surprise this morning to wake up to behold a beautiful white landscape out my window. I usually get up early before other lights go on at our apartment complex, and when I sit at my desk I look out on our courtyard. Today there was an unexpected sight that awaited me as everything was all covered over white with snow, and in the lamp light, it was gorgeous. My first thoughts were of a gospel hymn you probably know and have sung.
“What can wash away my sin/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus/ What can make me whole again/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus/ Oh precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow/ No other fount I know/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
The verses go on to say that there is nothing else that can atone for our sins, not even the good things we have done. Only Jesus blood for He paid the sacrifice to pardon us and becomes our hope and peace.
But sometimes we have a hard time believing our sins are washed away and it may help for us to confess our sins, not just to God, but to confide in another Christian brother or sister. It says in James 5:16 (Message), “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.” Just this morning I read about how author Keith Miller struggled with sin in his life and asked a priest to hear his confession. The priest who lived 500 miles away agreed and in preparation for this time, Keith wrote down all the people he had wronged and all his flaws. He read them to the priest out loud and afterwards waited for a response, with his head hung low, expecting the hammer to fall. But there was silence and when Keith finally looked up, he saw that the priest was weeping. The priest confessed that those things were on his list as well and both men experienced God’s forgiveness as they made confession and shared honestly with one another.
May each of us know in our hearts that we are forgiven, washed white as snow.
Challenge for today: Confess your sins to the Lord, and when led, share with another mature Christian.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy