Saturday, March 22, 2008

Though My Sins Be as Scarlet

Last evening we were driving to the Good Friday service where my hubby was speaking. The whole way there we were complaining about the SNOW... yes... 7.5 inches of SNOW falling on Good Friday... also the FIRST day of SPRING! ...seeing many drivers in the DITCH along the way.

After one hour and 45 minutes (normally a one hour drive) we arrived at the church... many arrived late because of the road conditions.

The service began. Worship was awesome... led by our great friend and Church Planter, Norflette Shumake. My husband began speaking about our JESUS... his sacrifice... his blood covering our sins... his LOVE for us... for ME...

And the verse came to my mind from Isaiah 1: 18 "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."

And I thought, "GOD... how apropos that YOU would bring the SNOW today... on the day we focus on the Cross where your son gave his life for ME... to take my heart... stained, dirty with sin... forgive me... sanctify me... and make my heart as WHITE AS SNOW!"

As we drove home through the winding back roads leading to our home I looked at the trees, the ground, the roads...

All the dirt and muck and mud that had been present earlier in the day were now covered with a breathtaking blanket of clean, white, pure, untouched snow.

What an overwhelming, beautiful picture of the love and forgiveness of our sweet Jesus.

If you need the cleansing power of JESUS to cover you with his blanket of love and forgiveness... HE is ready ... and waiting...full of love. All you have to do is ASK him. If you are a believer and there is something you have been holding on to... something you need to leave at the cross... don't wait one more minute.

Be white as SNOW today.

Pure.

Clean.

Forgiven.

Celebrate his LOVE, his SACRIFICE, his RESURRECTION!

14 comments:

Anneliese Dalaba said...

Thank you for the reminder. I am looking out of my window at the new snow with a new perspective. Great post!

Treasure Seeker said...

Beautifully put! Thanks for a wonderful post on the power of the cross!
love ya girl!
dorinda

Anonymous said...

Mary Beth that was an AWESOME blog! Thanks, and more thanks to God for you and your wonderful writing. WOW what a talent!!!!

Love Ya, Elaine and Bob

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reminder. We were moaning that we should have stayed in Florida a couple more weeks. It is wonderful to know that we can be a pure and as white as the snow. Great writing and illustration.

We really do like the snow, but we like it better in November.

Love you....mom

Anonymous said...

that is SO FUNNY! chilly made the same reference last night, and i just couldn't get over it...and you beat me to blogging about it:) happy Resurrection weekend!

kim

Anonymous said...

I was pretty bummed yesterday when I saw the snow, too. I've been home sick all week (in a coma - as I explained it to Casey) and I've been CRAVING sunshine and springtime and all those things that are supposed to be happening at this time of year. While I took an hour and made myself get out of the house, the temp. sign on the bank was mocking me by displaying a giant 24!

Thanks for the reminder about the correlation between Jesus' blood and the color of the snow. All too quickly our winter wonderland is
turning back into one big brown (chocolate brown) mudhole between our house and the church - I'll have to admit the white is much prettier!

Tammy

Anonymous said...

I love this post, and thank you for sharing your heart with me :o) I can oh so relate to everything you said...I too would love to write about everything, but some things I just can't...especially when circumstances involve very real people... Immediately after our huge move I suffered to miscarriages, our family had MANY ER visits, hubby was in the hospital for a week for a freak circumstance...it has been a crazy ride...But God is on my side and he still moves mountains and what the enemy meant for defeat...God is turning into His GLORY!! I have enjoyed your blog and your encouragement!!!! You are blessed :o) !!!

Anonymous said...

and Happy Easter!!!!

LAURIE said...

I found your page thru a mutual friend, and I loved this post. Before being planted in the south I lived in Wisconsin and one of the things I thought I did not miss was all of that snow and winter! But your words reminded me that yes! just like that feshly fallen snow that is beautiful and white, that my Jesus has washed me and now I am as beautiful as that fallen snow. What a new way to think about all of that snow! thanks.

Anonymous said...

I, too, have started to long for spring. Friday night at 10:30 when Dennis and I were out in the stiff blowing wind, snow, and cold shoveling off the 10 inches of snow that had already accumulated on our decks I asked him "Where are all those kids we raised?!?" We laughed and we were glad that they had all decided to wait until Saturday to come home so they missed most of the slippery roads.

We prayed for their safety in travel on Saturday and God answered out prayers. Jordan and Eric arrived without incident. Amanda hit black ice and ended up in the median unhurt both her and her car. Three very nice men came along and offered to push her out of the deep snow and she too arrived home safe and sound! We praise God for His love, protection, and mercy.

Anonymous said...

Mary,
Thanks for the beautiful reminder of God's redemption for all of us!
I'll try to have a better attitude as I look out and see the snow, even if it is March 24th!
Love you,
Marg

redheadrev said...

That was a great way to look at unwanted snow! I tagged you for a meme. Take a look at the blog.

elizabeth embracing life said...

Thanks so much for a touch of yet another blessing in our world. It was snowing lightly this morning and your post just reminds me of what Jesus has done.

p.s. my son is a sophmore in a Florida Christian college.

Karen Hossink said...

Two months ago I flew home from a speaking engagement to find 12 inches of snow on my van in the airport parking lot. As I brushed it off, all I could do was thank God that because of Jesus' blood covering me, I am as white as snow.
Thanks for this post to remind me one more time!