Hebrews 9:11-14
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Have you or a cheerful friend ever been called an optimist? If so, chances are you (or your sunshiny friend) have been told you see the world through “rose-coloured glasses,” meaning you’ve got a positive, glass-half-full perspective.
Wondering where that phrase came from, I did a quick Google search. According to Grammarist.com, “The idiom is most probably derived from the word rosy, which came into use during the latter half of the 1700s to mean cheerful or to be optimistic.” As an aside, did you know some studies show rose-coloured glasses can actually reduce migraines? Fascinating!
This phrase, “rose-coloured glasses,” got me thinking, how does God see us? I like to think He sees us through crimson-coloured glasses. Crimson is the colour of the blood of Jesus, covering our stains and washing us clean.
When we confess and repent, God sees us as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:9). No more shame!
I pray God helps us understand His crimson-coloured glasses when we feel shame. When we accept His free gift of forgiveness through Jesus, we can genuinely live with a glass-half-full perspective.
REFLECTION: How does remembering God’s perspective help you when you feel shame?
LYRICS
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus
Written by Robert Lowry
Verse 1:
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain: Oh! precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Verse 2:
For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Verse 3:
Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Verse 4:
This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Verse 5:
Now by this I’ll overcome— Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Now by this I’ll reach my home— Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Verse 6:
Glory! Glory! This I sing— Nothing but the blood of Jesus, All my praise for this I bring— Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
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