No Longer Scarlet

"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 as wool."
Isaiah 1:18

One of my most cherished childhood memories is going to Vacation Bible School. I began attending when I was seven years old. Each year after school adjourned for the summer, the local Baptist church would invite all of us to attend. One of my favorite things there was the flannel board. They would use it to teach lessons with pictures that they stuck to the board.
    One of these lessons was about our hearts. The teacher would put a big black heart on the board. She would explain that this was our hearts filled with sin. Then she would attach a red heart directly over the black one. She would tell us that this represented the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from sin and covers our black hearts. Finally, she would place a white heart over the others and tell us that this is what our hearts look like after we have received Jesus. Although this is a simple visual, it is a strong representation of what actually happens in a life that yields to Jesus and receives his forgiveness. It is a vivid memory of mine and I will never forget it.
    God's promise to us is exactly like the message on the flannel board. We are stained by sin. It has blackened our hearts. But he will make us white as snow. There will be no hint of leftover sin in his eyes. All we have to do is receive his forgiveness by believing that he loves us and confessing our sin before him, allowing him to cover it with his shed blood.
    This is a simple message today, yet it has eternal implications. If you have never asked Jesus to forgive your sin, do it today. Confess your sin before him, ask him to forgive you, receive what he did through his death on the cross, and be made completely clean. If you have been a Christian for a long time, the message still pertains. Confess your sin today and receive his forgiveness. When we do this, we grow in our relationship with him and move closer to an amazing eternity living in his presence. Remember the flannel board and be made white as snow.