Monday Motivation #32 The Stain of Sin
It was Mother’s Day and I was dressed in my favorite white pants and a pretty shirt for church. Rod and I arrived, got out of the car and of course, because I had on white pants, I leaned up against some grease on the car door. I was aggravated and irritated but what could I do? I went into church and into the room where my class meets and then I saw it. On my pants, on the leg that I had cut earlier while shaving, was blood. On my white pants!
So there I stood before the class with blood and grease stains on my pants for all to see. My sweet friends began to give me suggestions and tips on how to get grease and blood out of clothes so after church, I spent the afternoon soaking and scrubbing and applying various remedies including vinegar, alcohol, peroxide, and Dawn dishwashing liquid. I checked the internet for more remedies and finally, I had some success and my pants looked pretty good. Others wouldn’t even notice the stains but I knew they were there. I did a good job but nevertheless, they’re still there.
Isn’t that just like the stain of our sin? We can try to “scrub” ourselves clean but the stain of sin is still present in our lives. We can try to cover it up with looking good and acting good, church attendance, donating money to worthy causes and helping those in need, but those good deeds will never completely rid our lives of the sin stain. We can try to cover it up so it’s hidden from others but it never completely leaves us no matter what remedies we use. And God knows our hearts and our sin – it is always exposed to him. 
There is only one remedy that works to completely remove our sin stain and it’s Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate stain remover. Ironically, it’s his blood that washes away our sin. He is the sacrifice, the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”, (John 1:29) and His blood washes us “whiter than snow”, (Psalm 51:7). It is when we place our faith in the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf that we are finally cleansed from the sin that stains our life. We have victory over the sin that hunts us and haunts us. It’s the love of Jesus that cleanses us and saves us. It is the sacrifice of Jesus that gives us eternal life.
© 2019 Robin R King
Isaiah 1:18 New International Version (NIV)
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
Psalm 51:7 New International Version (NIV)
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
John 1:29 New International Version (NIV)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
