Cleaning the Blackboards

Back in my grade school days, you were told to clean the blackboards if you didn’t do your work or obey the teacher. Every time you did something wrong (breaking the rules), our teacher would write your name in the upper right-hand corner of the blackboard. Mine was usually up there for talking, and I had to stay in at recess and clean the blackboards.

Cleaning those blackboards is somewhat like sinning. Every time we break God’s rules or fail to obey Him, it is recorded in books in Heaven (Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.).

The only way I could get the blackboards clean was with a special cleanser. Just as the only way we can get forgiveness from our sins (removed from the books in heaven) is by the blood of Jesus, (Matthew 26:28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured

out for many for the forgiveness of sins.).

Before we went to cleaning, she would review the events of the day and point out what we did wrong, and we had to acknowledge what we did. This is somewhat similar to what the Bible calls confession (acknowledging or admitting) of sin. In (1 John 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.), it says that we must confess or admit to our specific sins before we can get forgiveness from them.

It was so nice to see a clean, fresh blackboard with no names (especially mine) on it. How wonderful it will be when the books of heaven are opened and they see a clean spotless page where our misdeeds had been recorded (Acts 10:43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.).

See you in Church on Sunday.