Episode 139

TODAY’S READING:

“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.

Isaiah 1:18

 

Happy Thursday. Can you believe we are almost done with our second week of December? Where is the time going?

 

We’ve been studying and looking to scripture to see the character of Jesus as we prepare for Christmas this year, and today is our 9th prayer of Advent.

 

We are reading out of Isiah 1:18 today. Notice how it says, “Come now, let us settle the matter,” almost like let’s just say this one time for all. However, our sins are like scarlet. Pause – that essentially says there is no denying that we sin. Every day we fall short. We lose our tempers, battle with worldly temptations, and sometimes we give into them. We gossip at times. We may fall into temptation. We may do something that is out of character. The list can go on and on. So once we accept that some of our behaviors are short of righteous, then we can hand them over freely to Jesus.

 

Why? Well, because with God, we are white like snow. Every day, we get to wake up and decide we are going to live a life after God’s own heart. We get to choose, and when we choose to accept what happened 2,000+ years ago on the cross, we can walk in the pureness of his grace.

 

He took our sins, and he buried them in the grave. He took our addictions, our shortcomings, our tempers, our selfishness, our impulses, and we took care of them so that we may walk in freedom.

 

It’s exciting because every day we do this, every day we choose to walk alongside Him, we grow. We become better. We become wiser. We become more like Him.

 

I don’t know about you, but I envision my life to be one full of grace, full of generosity, and full of wisdom. It starts today. It starts by allows God to make me white like snow. I know that’s your prayer also. It’s why you’re here listing to a daily devotional. Whatever you’re struggling with, I pray you to walk in the freedom that it’s already been taken care of. You can lean on Jesus to help you let go of the bondage that prevents you from the joy of this life.

 

PRAYER

Father God, we thank you for what you did so many years ago. We thank you for doing it every single morning when we realign ourselves with you. God, we want to be people who are full of your love, your grace, and your wisdom. We want to be stronger than our bondages, so help us. Help us cast them over to you so that we can be made white like snow. It is an honor to like a life side by side, hand by hand with you, and we don’t take that for granted. Remind us every day what this season is about. Remind us that we are celebrating your birth, which really means we get to honor who you were and what you did for us at the end of your life. Today and every day, we pray; we become more and more like you. It is in your Holy name that we pray, AMEN!