by Desiree Bustamante

Jesus covered our ugly sin with His pure sacrifice and love.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I think weeds seem beautiful when they are covered in snow compared to when they are just dried up and brown among a sea of other weeds. Just like weeds, we don’t like the ugly, sinful parts of ourselves. We also tend to judge others as we see the weeds of sin in them.

“Come now, let’s settle this,”
     says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
     I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
     I will make them as white as wool.”
Isaiah 1:18 New Living Translation

God settled our debt with sin and Satan when He sent His only Son Jesus to take away our sins. By His blood, He washed away our scarlet sins and made us as white as new fallen snow. Though we were once dried up sinners on an earth full of sin, He covered us with His sacrifice and made us pure and beautiful in His eyes. We are no longer weeds before God, but through the forgiveness of our sin, we have been given a special place among His people, set apart by faith in Him.

“You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.”
Deuteronomy 14:2 New Living Translation

As you continue to observe Lent, consider how gracious and merciful God is to provide His only Son as the only way to remove us from the weed field of sin and place us in His holy presence as His special treasure.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado