This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father … to keep oneself unstained by the world.

~James 1:27 NASB

Do you like organic beets? Those deep red-purplish ones?

Occasionally, I would bring some home from grocery trips, but I always had to bribe my daughters to eat them. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Why the need for culinary creativity? When the girls were small, vegetables weren’t on their menu of favorites—unless French fries counted. Cait, my younger daughter, had taste buds that could laser-out any veggie, no matter how cleverly I tried to disguise it.

One evening my mother joined us for dinner, and I served a new creation: beets tucked under a lovely orange sauce. After one bite, Cait screwed up her mouth as though she had tasted poison and spit it into her napkin. My older daughter Meg toyed with the new combination, not sure if she would side with her sister or me. But my mother adored it and asked for a second helping.

Having already cautioned everyone to guard against splashing beets on their clothes, I turned to admire Mother’s appreciation for all my careful work. To my dismay, a purplish-red spot glared at me from her white, dry-clean-only blouse. We tried everything to get out the stain. No, that stubborn red circle would not disappear—even when the dry cleaner had applied every available remedy. The blouse was ruined.

Have you ever had a stain that refused to wash out? In the Word, sin is also described as a stain. Try as we might, the stain of sin can’t be washed out with worldly products. Attending church, doing good deeds, and volunteering are good examples, but can they erase those stains? No. Or perhaps we might don blinders and refuse to look, convincing ourselves that the stain is too small to be noticeable. But we’re just fooling ourselves.

Have you ever accidentally fallen or cut yourself? Whenever I become injured, I can never look. I grasp the wound and squeeze while I grimace and look away. The sight of blood nauseates me and makes my ears buzz. But when I finally get enough courage to peek and am convinced that I won’t faint, then I can deal with cleaning and bandaging it (no, I could never have become a nurse).

Whenever there’s sin in our hearts, do we cover it up and refuse to look? Instead, let’s consider how our stained hearts appear in God’s eyes. He alone can see into the depths of our souls, and try as we might, we cannot hide from His scrutiny. Although we may cover up our sins with all kinds of excuses and home-remedies, we must stop and be willing to open our souls to Him. Jesus is the One who cleans, sterilizes, and bandages our wounds so they can heal. He cleans out all the sin from our hearts and makes us whole, erasing the stain so completely with His blood that it is as though we had never sinned. The result? All guilt and shame are gone.

How did King David respond after Nathan the prophet confronted him over his sin with Bathsheba? Did he hide his sins or confess them to God?

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.

~Psalm 51:1-2, 7, 9 NASB

David had a correct response to his sin. God’s Word tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but the Good News is that our sins can be washed away in the blood of the Lamb. May our salvation bring us abundant joy, and may we use it as a testimony to bring others to the cross of Christ.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.

~Psalm 51:10-13 NASB

Have your sins been washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Dear Heavenly Father, I repent of my sins and ask You to wash away every stain with Your Son’s precious blood. Thank you for forgiving me. I rejoice in Your unconditional love.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright © 2020: How to Get Rid of Stains: Karen Jurgens: All Rights Reserved