Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Coverer of Our Shame

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:27
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Have you ever tried to sew leaves together to make clothes? I have. I can tell you that it doesn’t work too well! Grass thread soon breaks and the leaves fall off. No wonder Adam and Eve were hiding in the bushes!
But that is exactly what it’s like when we try to cover up our own sin. We make excuses for our behavior. We try to pretend it didn’t happen. We may even lie about it—to others and to ourselves. But it never works. The truth comes out, the excuses fall off, and we’re left covered in shame.
When we have sinned, we need God’s help and mercy. We need God to do for us exactly what He did for Adam and Eve—to make clothing for us that will stay on us and completely cover our shame and guilt.
But that clothing comes at a price. An innocent animal in the Garden of Eden died so that human shame could be covered with animal skin. In the same way, our Lord Jesus Christ laid down His own innocent life for our sakes. Through His death and resurrection, He took away our shame forever—because He loves us.
Baptized into Christ Jesus, we are no longer ashamed. As Christians, we have been clothed with Christ and clad in His purity. Thank You, Lord!
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for covering my sin and making me Your own forever. Amen.
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Portals of Prayer - A Daily Devotion from Concordia Publishing House
Devotional Reading for: 7/3/2007

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