Jesus Gets Rid of Every Spot and Stain – October 6, 2019

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”
Psalm 51:1-3

Jesus Gets Rid of Every Spot and Stain

“How will I ever get that clean again, young man?” This cry has gone out more than once when a young child comes in covered with dirt and grass stains. It doesn’t matter what detergent you use. You’ve tried them all. Pre-soaks? Bleach? They just don’t work as well as they are advertised.

David, the writer of Psalm 51, also had trouble cleaning away some dirt. But the dirt and stains he was worried about were not on his clothes or under his fingernails. David, the King of Israel and leader of God’s people, had committed some terrible sins. He had sex with another man’s wife. When David found out his girlfriend was pregnant, he arranged to have her husband murdered.

For a while, David told himself these things didn’t matter. But they did! His conscience bothered him constantly. He couldn’t sleep or eat. He knew he was “dirty.” His dirt, however, could never be taken away with soap or cleaners. There was only one place he could go to get clean.

David took his sins to the Lord and pleaded, “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” David knew that sin was a stain that could only be cleansed through God’s forgiveness.

In mercy God sent the Savior for David and for all of us, and “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 Peter 1:7). What a relief it is to know that Jesus gets out every “dirty spot!” What a joy it is to know that through God’s forgiveness all our sins are washed away! Thank you, Jesus!

Prayer:
Dear Lord, be merciful to me. As you have so richly forgiven me, continue to send me your Holy Spirit, that I may not fall from faith but remain your child forever. Amen.