Sunday's Thought!

"Snowfall!"
Photo: Brian Jones on Unsplash

Yesterday I woke up to find a light snow falling which was supposed to turn to ice and freezing rain before all rain. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful, pure, and white the snow was as it fell. It was so gentle and light, to me, an awesome sight.

As the snow fell, I couldn't help but think about the hymn, "Whiter than Snow,"

"Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole,

I want Thee forever to live in my soul;

Break down every idol, cast out every foe;

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Chorus:

"Whiter than snow; yes, whiter than snow;

Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."

"Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,

Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;

To get this blest cleansing I all things forego;

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

"Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,

And help me to make a complete sacrifice;

I give up myself and whatever I know;

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

"Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat;

I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet;

By faith, for my cleansing I see Thy blood flow;

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

"Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait;

Come now, and within me a new heart create;

To those who have sought Thee Thou never saidst, No;

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Lyrics: James Nicholson

Music: William Gustavus Fischer (1835-1912)

I remember singing the hymn at the end of numerous church services for the invitation to anyone to go forward and accept Christ. At my young age, I didn't completely understand what the hymn was really saying. I mean, how can my sins be washed whiter than snow? However, the Scripture says:

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

    they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

    they shall become like wool."

Isaiah 1:18, (ESV)

Of course, some of it was due to my young age. Though I was never in "deep" trouble or a "bad kid," but, as with any and every human on planet earth, I sinned and made mistakes along the way. How can God wash my sins "Whiter than Snow?" 

Now that I am a bit older, ok- alot older, I have gained some wisdom and understanding about what God does for us and the meaning behind the hymn and what God is saying in the Scripture. Basically, no matter what we have done, where we have done it, why we did it, no matter whatever- God will forgive us and wash our sins away and make us whiter than snow. When Jesus has forgiven us, they are forgiven, they are not brought back up to haunt you or be a problem to you. You are forgiven. And, yes, He forgives and forgets.

If you would like to accept Christ's awesome gift to us, the Gift of Salvation- eternal life, please read and pray through the following-

Admit
Admit that you are a sinner, just like everyone else born into this world, until we confess to Jesus Christ and ask His forgiveness:

"(23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

(24) and are justified 

by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," 

- Romans 3:23-24, ESV

"(23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God

 is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

- Romans 6:23, ESV

Believe
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ:

(16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, 

that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16, ESV 

Confess

Confess your sins in a prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ:

(9) "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. "

- Romans 10:9, ESV

Pray

"Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. 

I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation 

and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. 

Jesus, come into my life and take control, 

forgive my sins and save me. I place my trust in You alone

for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."

Amen

Now, you're a Christian - Welcome to the family. So, what's next-

• Find a 100% Bible-believing, teaching, preaching church. Here are a few resources:
• Southern Baptist Convention
• Southern Baptist Conservatives
• Church of the Nazarene 
• Find believers (Christians) to fellowship with.
• Get baptized.
• Buy a Bible.
• Read the Book of John.
• Get in a Bible Study.
• Daily: Pray and read the Bible.
• Find a Mentor.
• Learn how to Pray.
• If you find yourself asking "Why am I not perfect" or "Why am I still doing wrong things?" Be sure to talk with your Pastor, a Christian friend or a mentor.

Wednesday's Words! Encouragement from God's Word!

(C) Allen Pearson Photography

 "The light shines

in the darkness,

and the darkness

has not overcome it." 

- John 1:5

Sunday's Thought!

(C) Storyblocks, Used by Permission

Well, the New Year has started and we are already going into the second full week of January. Yup! This one 's going to fly by like 2019!

A friend asked if I was making or had made any New Year's Resolutions this year. I replied that I had not because perfection can't be perfected upon so there is no need. If only that were true. But, then life would be boring for me.

The friend went on to share that she read it was better to make smaller resolutions in the New Year toward a larger goal than to always try to tackle more challenging ones all at once. Again, the perfection comment went through my mind but I stopped it before it went out. I got to thinking about this and began to see her point and agree.

Typically, I make several New Year's Resolutions each year and evaluate them at the end of the year. This way, I can tweak them toward making another goal the following year.

A few goals for 2020 is to walk my dog Noah fifty more miles than I did last year, eat healthier, and drink more water. The most important resolution I will make this year is to learn more about God, Jesus, and the Bible. It seems that the more I know, the more I want to know, and you can't know enough about God, Jesus, and the Bible.

Are you a Christian? Have you been wondering if there is life after death? Do you wonder about God, Jesus, and the Bible? Maybe you need to make a New Year's Resolution to follow Jesus. If you would like to learn more about Jesus and the Christian faith, please visit Peace With God.