Have you seen those magic eraser thingys in stores? They promise to cut through grime & stains that regular old sponges can't handle. Confession: I tried the "cheap" dollar store version & it did so-so. For instance, it got rid of some of the nastiness in the grooves in between the shower tiles, but the ink residue that the resident before me left in the dryer, not so much. I scrubbed with vigor - & in all fairness, the white generic "super" sponge did turn dark bluish in places - but as I continued it became apparent from my aching arm & ink streaked dryer drum that it wasn't gonna happen. The careless mess of a forgotten pen-in-pocket was no match for my imitation tool & toil - thankfully, it doesn't seem to come off onto any of my clothes.
Have you ever been there? Trying desperately to reclaim a sense of cleanliness in your life after a mistake has left a mottled, filthy smear? Whatever you do on your own - good works to override the mess / soap & water to purify - it isn't enough. And while your outward appearance may be squeaky clean, your heart knows & feels the shame that tells you your insides are otherwise. The thing is, whatever we do on our own {& in our own strength} to remedy the blotch, will always be a cheap imitation that ultimately {& always} fails us. So, what's a stained girl to do? One word: Jesus!
"For all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, & are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
-Romans 3:23-24 NIV {emphasis mine}
It's a free unmerited gift, this magic eraser known as God's grace - & it never fails. All that is necessary is to accept Jesus as your Savior & seek wholeheartedly His forgiveness when the proverbial pen-in-pocket moments come - & they will come to every human on this vast terrain, as the above scripture assures us. Sometimes it may be hard to accept this free gift of grace {especially when we know it isn't deserved}, but that's how God gave it to us - freely, that we might be free in Him. This grace truly is amazing!
Snag the free printable below to remind you of God's grace!
INSTRUCTIONS: Click on the image above & then right click & save to your computer {or copy & paste}. Open in a word document, resize if necessary, print, & remember Jesus has erased your sins through the cross!
CONDITIONS OF USE: My printables are free for personal use only. Feel free to share them on Pinterest provided you credit & link back to http://bessbag.blogspot.com/ {Bess' Bag}. If you want to blog about these printables, or share a project you created using them, it would be fabulous, just be sure to credit & link back to http://bessbag.blogspot.com/ {Bess' Bag} (feel free to use 1 or 2 of my photos, but please don't share the actual printable on your site - just add a link to it). Thanks & enjoy!
Love you!
-Bess-
