The Philippine Star

Diamond dust

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Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

— Psalm 51:7 During a bitterly frigid winter in our part of Michigan, there were many mixed emotions about the weather. As the snowy winter season pressed on into March, most people had long before fallen out of love with snow and were bemoaning longrange forecasts of low temperatur­es.

Yet the majestic beauty of the snow continued to amaze me. Even as I threw endless shovelsful of it from my driveway onto the over-my-head snowbanks, I was enthralled with the white stuff. One particular day, ice crystals filtered down from the sky to fall atop old snow. As my wife and I took a walk through this sparkling scene, it looked as if diamond dust had been sprinkled across the landscape.

In Scripture, snow seems to have varied purposes. God sends it as an indicator of His creative greatness (Job 37:6; 38:22-23). Snow-capped mountains irrigate the arid valleys below. But more significan­tly, God gives snow as a picture of our forgivenes­s. The gospel of Jesus provides a way for us to be cleansed of our sins and for our hearts to be made much “whiter than snow” (Ps. 51:7; Isa. 1:18).

The next time you see snow — in life or in photos — thank God for the forgivenes­s and the freedom from sin’s penalties that this beautiful, natural gift pictures for all who have put their trust in our Savior.

— Dave Branon

Thank You for forgiving us and for turning our filthiness into the beauty of forgivenes­s. Help us to display the beauty of our forgivenes­s to all we encounter. READ: Isaiah 1:18-20; Psalm 51:7 When Christ forgives us, our hearts are as clean as new-fallen snow. Bible in a Year: Zechariah 1-4 percent Revelation 18

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