Skip to main content

Lessons from Shoveling Snow

 Courtesy of: news.bbcimg.co.uk
  Greetings from the snow-laden northeast! With all the snow we have been receiving, a post on snow seems to be in order!

 A few years ago, I was shoveling snow while the sun was shining. As I shoveled, there was still snow in the little cracks of the pavement. Evidently, no matter how much I could scrape, I would never get it all out. All I could do was shovel the snow, and let the sunshine melt what I couldn't.

 It's the same with us. The snow of sin covers our hearts, but God will not do for us what we can do for ourselves (though He does give us the strength to do even this). We must work to clear away what we can. But no matter how much we try, we still cannot clear sin from our hearts. We will always find it hiding in the little cracks and crevices of our characters if we seek to do it all in our own strength. There comes a point where no amount of work can cleanse us- we must let the Sun of righteousness shine on our hearts to melt away the sins we cannot get rid of ourselves.

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:7. Sometimes all we can pray is, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ... Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. ... Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51: 7, 9, 10.
  "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36: 26

 



 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bowing Walls and Tottering Fences

Photo courtesy of: learn.corel.com "How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence." Psalm 62:3     I know it may sound depressing, but what are bowing walls and tottering fences like? They are weak. According to this verse we can be like that, too. But, what  makes us weak? Because they "imagine mischief against a man". That word mischief also means evil or iniquity . Any time we think anything bad about others, it makes us weaker. It has been said that speaking (or even thinking) evil about others does not make them, but ourselves, more evil. May we each pray, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14.    

A Little Word

 Amy Carmichael and two little girls  One evening in India, Amy Carmichael and one of the Dohnavur nurses-in-training, Kohila, were walking by the water when a young man shyly approached them. "Do you remember me?" he asked. "I used to come to the children's meetings under the tamarind tree." With that he proceeded to sing song after song, and recite text after text. The power of song! Who would have thought! On other occasions, many a man and woman said that they were drawn by the Dohnavur children's singing. "It was the young children's singing that drew me to want to hear the Gospel, and also their happiness."   On another occasion, there was a little five year old saved from the evils of being a temple girl. Lala was a gentle girl, of a yielding disposition. Not long after she was rescued, though, the father gave them trouble. Friends telegraphed that he demanded her back. He was not a good man, and his actions were not prompted b...

Fight Each Battle, LORD

Fight each battle, LORD! I am too weak to win! Thou hast all power To deliver me from sin. I cannot free nor disentangle Myself from Satan's snares! I need Thee to keep me from the foe, So I will not fall unawares. Gird me in Thy armor, LORD! Each piece place on me now; Grant me the sword, the shield, all; And Thy helmet on my brow. Keep me meek and humble, LORD! A contrite and broken heart please give! Help me to stay always at Thy side, To forever in Thy presence live.