Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
There is one thing that I’ll be doing in the coming days that brought something to my mind that I wanted to share at this time. I realize that it may sound a little bit like I am over thinking what is ahead of me, but I believe that it is something that God has spoken to me.
Not long ago Vicki shared with me that I needed to do some painting at the house. She said that I needed to paint the accent wall in the living room. Then she added that I also needed to paint our bedroom, computer room and the utility room. I decided that I would begin with the one area in the living room.
I’m still trying to get started painting. Because of issues that I have going on it hasn’t been easy to get started. I have everything covered to protect the shelves and floor, but I still haven’t started the painting.
As I looked at what is ahead, I was working things out in my mind. I wanted to make sure that everything was covered. There is a place where I pulled down some corner shelves that I put up before I painted the last time. Now I have to make sure the old paint is covered.
That is really what made me stop and think. As I paint my hope is that the old paint will be covered and people will only be able to see the new paint. Then I thought that is what the blood of Jesus does. It covers the old and only the new person in Christ is there. When we are covered in the blood of Christ, we are made new.
Psalm 32:1-5 says --- 1 “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! 3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin.
Paul brought this up in Romans 4:6-8 when he wrote --- 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. 8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”
When we accept Christ into our hearts it is the blood of Christ that washes away the sin from our lives. Jesus died on the cross so that we might have life. That life comes as we confess our sins to Him and ask Him to come into our hearts and forgive us of our sins.
It is in that moment that our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus and we can experience the fullness of life in Christ. We can know that the blood of Christ has washed over our lives and cleansed us of all our unrighteousness.
Just as one needs to do the proper preparation to paint and get the right paint in order to cover the old paint, one must go to Jesus Christ to be able to find the forgiveness of sin and have their ‘sin covered’ by His blood. John wrote in 1 John 1:7b – “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
As I begin painting the walls to cover the old paint, my mind focuses on the truth that it is my sin that is ‘covered by the blood’ of Jesus and His desire is that all people hear this truth.
JESUS, JESUS, JESUS, there IS something about that name!!
Christ only, always,
Bro. Paul
Brother Paul Nachtigall is the preacher at Highland Baptist Church. He can be reached at bropaul@centramedia.net.
