February 6, 2010

Today's reading: Leviticus 16, 17, 18; Psalm 6, 36, 66, 96, 126; Proverbs 6

Leviticus 16:16,"And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness."

I had the pleasure of growing up on my aunt and uncle's farm. During those years I found myself getting into all kinds of things. Trouble was the most frequent thing that I found myself getting in. Even on rainy days I could go down into the basement and find things to get into or I could go out to the tool shed and even the barn. There was an old house that the landlord kept a tractor in that really held treasures for a young boy to discover.

One thing I remember the most is that I always ended up dirty. I don't mean just a little dirt here and there. Sometimes at night when I would take my bath you could not truly tell what race I was. If we had gone to the coal mine and got a load I could even be black as night. It was at these times that I needed a bath. I remember how dirty the bathtub would be when I got out. Yuck!

It is the same in our lives now. On a spiritual level we need to be cleansed from our sin. The sin that is a part of us is more black and dark than that old coal dust and it takes more than soap and water to clean it away.

Jesus died to pay our sin debt. Like the lambs and goats of our passage today, Jesus is our atonement. The word "atonement" means to cover or to placate or to cancel. Jesus paid the price of sin for you and I if we will trust Him and receive His free gift of salvation and as the old song says, "and be washed in the blood of the Lamb".

Have you ever taken your spiritual bath and been cleansed from your sin? I hope you have. If not contact me and I would love to introduce you to Jesus and He can wash you "white as snow".