William Barclay wrote of a train trip he took from Scotland to England. As the train passed through the Yorkshire moors he described a little whitewashed country cottage. “It shone with an almost radiant whiteness.” On his return trip, snow covered the moors. Once again, Barclay saw the cottage. This time he wrote, “It's whiteness seemed drab and soiled and almost gray in comparison with the virgin whiteness of the driven snow.” You see it all depends upon that to which we compare something.

We might think our lives look pretty good compared to others, but God doesn’t measure our righteousness by comparing us to other people. He compares us to himself. And that’s why we need the forgiveness that Jesus offers to all who believe in him. Then we can become white as snow!