Daily Devotional for January 5, 2023
Winter Snow
“Ugh! I’m so tired of this cold weather. What’s the use of winter anyway?” Josh grumbled as he put on his heavy coat and snow boots.
Josh’s mom handed him his lunch and said, “We can talk more about it tonight, but pay attention to how clean the new fallen snow looks as you walk out to the bus stop.”
As he walked down the sidewalk, Josh dragged his boots through the snow, thinking about what his mom had said. When he got on the bus, he told his best friend Marcus about it.
“What does not liking winter have to do with clean snow?” Marcus asked.
Josh shrugged. “I don’t know, but Mom said we’d talk more about it tonight.”
Josh and Marcus didn’t think any more about it the rest of the day, until Josh’s mom picked them both up after school. It was Friday, and Marcus was spending the night.
Josh’s dad picked up pizza for dinner on his way home from work. As they ate, Josh said, “Hey, Mom, Marcus and I are wondering what you meant this morning when you told me to pay attention to how clean the new fallen snow looked.”
“Well, I used to complain about winter too because I can’t stand to be cold,” Mom replied. “But on one winter morning when I was having my devotions, I read Isaiah 1:18, which says, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.’” Mom smiled at the boys. “Now, don’t get me wrong—I still can’t stand being cold! But thinking of how Jesus loved me so much He died on the cross for my sins and made me clean like freshly fallen snow—well, that changed my perspective. Winter is cold, but the snow is beautiful.”
Marcus took a bite of his pizza. “Would you tell me some more about Jesus?” he asked. “My mom and dad don’t take me to church, and I really don’t know much about Him.”
Josh smiled and listened as his parents told Marcus more about Jesus. Winter still isn’t my favorite season, he thought, but Mom’s right—the snow really is beautiful.
-Lisa Fuller
How about you?
Is winter your favorite season? It might not be, but this year, if you see snow, think of Jesus. The Bible reminds us that Jesus washes away our sins and makes us pure like newly fallen snow. What a beautiful picture—clean and beautiful not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus did for us. Do you know Him as your Savior? If not, trust in Him today. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)
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