Reflections on the Beach: Forgiveness at the Surf

 

Reflections on the Beach

Week Seven

"Forgiveness at the Surf"

Focus Passage: Colossians 2

Bible Reading: 1st Corinthians 16-2nd Corinthians 6

      One of the first lessons I learned as a father is that there are certain tasks that dads typically do on a trip.  Most dads do the driving, and much to our wife's dismay we also do most of the navigating. We can't choose what the radio station will be despite the fact we are driving, (Baby shark on repeat for a multiple hour drive is not part of a relaxing vacation), we do most of the arranging of luggage items, and then when we arrive at the hotel we do most of the unpacking of the car.  It's almost as if certain things are ingrained into our Y chromosomes.  I also have come to the conclusion that it's our manly duty as a father to tote more stuff than humanly possible through hot, soft sand.  Take a moment and watch guys with a family try to make it a single trip, it will entertain you.  And yet another observation of being a beach dad is that it is your job to chase down any toys that were taken away in the surf.  You hear your child scream that the waves have taken away their precious fifty-cent sand bucket and we respond by throwing caution to the wind by diving headfirst into danger to rescue the irreplaceable bucket that can be found at any storefront along the boardwalk.

      The surf/tide is powerful.  It brings in seashells but it also takes away things.  It washes the shoreline clean.  During one trip my children and I were sitting near the water.  They were learning their letters and we were quickly trying to write them out before the wave came in and erased them.  I used this occasion to write the word sin.  The kids saw it and waited for the wave to wash it away.  Sure enough, the power of the wave overmatched the sand writing, and it vanished as if it was never there.  God does this in a much more powerful way in our life.  The problem is that the sin of our life is not written on sand, it's written on our hearts and soul.  Sin, the things we think, say, and do that doesn't please God, cannot be easily removed by a wave.  Because of the depth of our sin, because of how seemingly permanent the stain is we need something more powerful.  What is more powerful than our sin?  What is of such a force to wash away sin?  Jesus.  God in His infinite love sent Jesus Christ, His precious and perfect Son, to come to this world to die for us.  Jesus loves you, He shed His blood for you on an old rugged cross.  Colossians 2:14 says "By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."  Our sins are forgiven only by the death of Jesus.  Not by my own works, effort, morals, or religion.  It is by grace, through faith only.  It is only by Jesus.  You can't wash away sin etched on our stony hearts, but the Lover of our Soul Jesus can with His shed blood.

Reflections on the Road:

Robert Lowry, the famous pastor and hymnist asked a question in one of his songs, "What can wash away my sin?"  His reply was nothing but the blood of Jesus.  Nothing, not one thing other than the blood of Christ can cleanse us from all sin (1st John 1:7).  Have you come to Jesus to be saved from sin?  If not, why not today?