Stains!

     I hate it, I utterly hate it when I go to put on a pair of jeans and find stains on them.  One pair, one of my favorites has, what looks like, rust stains.  I was probably wearing them while working in the garage.  The ones I put on this morning have grass stains on the knees from working in the yard on Saturday.  Rebecca always tells me, “Don’t wear your good jeans while your working in the yard and in the garage.”  And do I listen…. well of course not, and now I have stains.

     It’s ok to have stains on your pants if you’re putting around the house, or doing something grimy.  But if you are going to be with other people, in public, they are unsightly.  Some people don’t care about their stains; they flaunt them like badges of honor.  Others try to hide their stains, because they worry about their image.  Whichever one, stains make your clothes look old and worn.

I don’t like stains, so I try and wash them out.  The rust stains are here to stay.  I didn’t put the magic wash stuff on them before putting them in the washer.  Hopefully the grass stains will come out.  Some stains are impossible to get out. I googled “removing stains.”  You can imagine the results.  Stain removal is a big problem.  One person lists mustard, hair dye, pie filling (berries) grass (oh, no!), and chocolate milk as the most difficult, if not impossible, to get out. 

     There is one stain that is totally impossible for man to remove, the stain of sin.  Jer. 2:22 says, “Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.” Using lye is like trying to get rust stains out with battery acid, its harsh stuff.  Sin is an awful stain.  Some people wear their stain like a badge, and others try to cover it up, but the stain is an affront to God, and if it can’t be removed then the whole garment is thrown away.

The stain of sin can linger; misunderstandings become resentments; hurt feelings become bitterness; my rights become pride and self-righteousness; and cravings become addictions.  Stains can linger, and in the case of sin, destroys lives. 

     What is countered intuitive is that the stain of sin can only be washed out with blood.  Heb. 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The greatest stain remover ever is the shed of blood of Jesus.  It not only removes the stain, but also washes the sin totally away.  We are now free to live a new life. Oh, occasionally we need to go back and take care of a few spots that crop up, but the root of the stain is removed. 

 Eph. 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, t

he forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

     Now, if I can just find something that will take care of this grass stain.  I’m just saying….