For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Not everybody’s favorite, but my Grandma Dot and I shared a love for them. With a strong, licorice-like taste, much different from the sweet, fruity flavors, the black jelly beans are often the ones left untouched. But for me, it was just the opposite.
As a child, during the Easter season, I remember eating black jelly beans with my grandmother at her house while we watched TV together. (Yes, they make bags with only the black jelly beans, so believe it or not, it must be the flavor of choice for at least some of the population!)
Receiving my bag of black jelly beans from my Grandma Dot became somewhat of an Easter tradition. It was my special little treat from her every year – even well into my adulthood.
Sadly, my grandmother died unexpectedly on the Monday morning of April 26th, 2004, not too many weeks after Easter. Sometime after she had passed, I found in a drawer a bag of black jelly beans that she had given me. I almost couldn’t bear to look at them or eat them for a while because I missed my grandmother so much.
This year my family has been working on a huge jar of Jelly Bellies from Costco, though in my opinion there are not enough black ones in the extensive assortment. As I longed to taste some black jelly beans and remembered those special times with my Grandma Dot – I began to crave them!
So I stopped by Rite-Aid and bought 2 bags!
You may have heard what the different colors of jelly beans represent concerning the plan of salvation – the black ones represents sin.
Certainly not a surprise that the color black symbolizes darkness or death – Ephesians 2:1 reminds us that we “were dead in our sins.” Romans 6:23 states, “the wages of sin is death…”
But like the bittersweet taste of the black jelly bean, “…God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Jesus suffered and died for us on the cross because He loved us that much!
If our sins are forgiven, death is not eternal. We will die an earthly death at some point, but if we have chosen to accept God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, we will be victorious over death!
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Yes, I miss eating black jelly beans with my Grandma Dot. Death has separated us temporarily. But because of Jesus, and what He did for us on the cross, those black jelly beans are ever so sweet.
Because of Jesus, I can savor each black jelly bean and look forward to the day I meet Him face to face and thank Him in person for loving me enough to save me from the punishment I deserve! And I can also look forward to a happy reunion with my Grandma Dot where we can celebrate Easter every day with Jesus - together!
What about you? Are your sins forgiven? If you have any doubt whatsoever, why not take care of that today? I pray that everyone can eat their favorite jelly beans this Easter with the assurance of their own salvation.
Dear God, I acknowledge and confess to you that I am a sinner and have missed the mark of the standard You set, Lord. I believe that Jesus died for my sins on the cross and I want to turn away from those sins. Today Lord, I accept Your gift of forgiveness. I desire to have a personal relationship with You and I want to follow You all of my life.
Salvation Verses:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… Romans 3:23 (NIV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)
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