The Cover-Up

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:7-10; 103:8-14

“Derek, look! It snowed last night!” Emalyn called to her brother as she

looked out the window. “It’s so gorgeous—all clean and white and sparkly! I just love it, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes! It’s so-o-o be-e-e-yew-tiful!” Derek clasped his hands in mock delight. “I just adore the snow. I think it’s simply marvelous, and I—” Derek’s teasing was cut short by the napkin his sister tried to stuff into his mouth.

“All right, you two,” Mom said with a smile. “Get ready for school. I don’t want you to miss your bus.”

By dinnertime, the snow had begun to melt. “I hope it snows again tonight,” said Emalyn as they finished eating. “It was so pretty this morning, but now everything is starting to look dirty again. I think we should have a little snow every night—just enough to cover up the old stuff and keep things looking clean.”

“I agree with you,” said Mom. “I think that would be nice.”

“Indeed! Oh, absolutely!” said Derek. “The snow—auwk!” Emalyn had clapped her hand over his mouth.

Dad smirked. “Okay, you two, that’s enough.” He looked toward the window. “What Emalyn said actually reminds me of a conversation I had with Mr. Carlson today. He thinks that by doing good things, he can cover up the bad things he’s done—much like how new snow covers up old, dirty snow.”

“But the dirty snow doesn’t go away. It’s still there and shows up again when the snow starts to melt,” said Derek. “And bad things we’ve done don’t just go away either, even when we do something good.”

“That’s right,” Dad said, “and even Mr. Carlson admitted that every time he thinks he’s making progress, he does something wrong and has to start over again. I told him that the good things he does don’t do anything to get rid of the sin he’s trying to cover up and hide. The only way to remove it is to trust in Jesus.”

“Right,” said Emalyn. “Because only Jesus can wash away our sin and make us whiter than snow!” – Hazel W. Marett

How About You?

Do you do good things to try to make up for the bad things you’ve done? Trying to cover up sin by your own efforts doesn’t work—the sin is always hiding underneath. You need Jesus. He’s the only one who can wash your sin away and make you clean inside. Put your faith in Him and He will remove your sin and make you whiter than snow. (See “The ABCs of Salvation” on the right column of this page..)

Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 51:7 Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Let Jesus wash your sin away