I Corinthians 6:9-11 – Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?……And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
One of my sisters and her husband were in town and I was expecting them for dinner. I had put the food on to cook but I left the house and went to the store and forgot to turn off the stove. When I returned, the food was burned so badly it stuck to the pot. I soaked and scraped and soaked and scraped that pot. The food came out but the stain that was left from the burnt food remains in the pot still today. The pot is clean and has been used to make delicious meals to this date. But every time I clean the pot, the stain from the original burn is still quite visible.
When we have lived a life of purposeful sin, we can become so stained that it can cause permanent damage that cannot be repaired. For example, someone may lose an eye, an appendage, teeth or have surface scars. And even though God said He will wash us white as snow, sometimes, as was with Paul, He allows our stains to remain as a reminder of what He brought us through, for a testimony to share with others of how good and capable He is.
But the best part of this lesson is this. Just because we may be stained from past sins, we are not useless. It doesn’t mean God stops loving us and discards us as rubbish. As a matter of fact, He usually gets the best use from such as evidenced in His Word. Just as my burnt, stained pot gives me delicious meals despite what it looks like, we can do the same for the One who loves us the most.
Dear Father: Thank you, Sir, for not discarding me because I am blemished with the stains of sin. I ask You Father to continue to wash me and make me a worthy vessel for Your Will alone.