3-7-07 Sin Prints

March 7, 2007

SIN PRINTS

“But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin”. I John 1:7

What a promise! What a magnificent promise from our Father! Ponder on that awhile and your heart will be swimming in grateful tears. There’s an old hymn by Robert Lowry written in 1876 (I told you it was old) titled Nothing But the Blood. The opening verse:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

I remember reading some thoughts from a man walking the beach and his analogy of the foot prints, the waves and the blood of Jesus. That comes to mind today as I look out into the sea while on vacation and remember the joy of walking along the shoreline dancing in and out of the frosted ruminant of blue green waves. I can’t do that anymore but the memory brings much joy to my soul. As I picture the setting of the man’s story in my mind an early morning jogger breezed past him, uttering a friendly "hello." Behind him were two elderly folks, ambling along. The footprints in the sand captured the man’s attention, and he noticed a visible difference in the three sets. The jogger's feet hit the sand the hardest, leaving the deepest imprints. His footprints made a shallow impression and the strolling couple - almost no marks at all. As he watched the shore wash over the prints the depth of them did not seem to matter. The tide rushes in a pincer movement, erasing every pattern or recess and returning the sandy seabed to created form. As the waves wash away the footprints from the sand, so the shed blood of Jesus washes over each believer to erase the sin prints on our life. Like the sands on the shore we are returned to our created form when we go to Jesus with a contrite heart. He died to forgive us our sins. That stands alone as the greatest gift yet God keeps going deeper for Christ Jesus not only dies for our sins but he died to forgive those who have sinned against us. Please stop and take that in according to your present hurt, difficulty or anger. Christ died for those who have sinned against me! As his children we can do no less. Die to ourselves and forgive others - it’s the discharge duty of Jesus blood washing away our sins.

A Pearl to String: The fragrance of forgiveness
Forgiveness is the perfume
That the trampled flower
Casts back upon the foot that crushed it.

Singing His love song,
Lyndi