Tag: righteousness

The Marvelous Gift of Salvation

2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

By accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are able to do away with all that separates us from our eternal inheritance. The importance of Jesus taking on all sin is that we can become worthy to stand before the Father in a righteous state. But before we reach our eternal resting place in heaven, we begin to prepare ourselves for heaven by living in a new manner on earth. As new creatures in Christ, we live each day by new principles, by new rules, with new brothers and sisters and with new ends in mind. We become the workmanship of Almighty God, changed forever in character and conduct.

Through the marvelous gift of salvation, all of our sins are gone – nonexistent. They have been taken away by the One who knew no sin. The have been washed away by His shed blood. Each one of us new creatures stand before the Father without blemish. Each one of us in Christ stands before the Father is in the image of His own Son. Each one of us is now the essence of everything good and the absence of anything evil. We are worthy to dwell with the Father for all eternity.

Let us prepare ourselves for our eternal inheritance. Let us strive to live here on earth in the fullness of the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ. Let us seek to be worthy of all that has been set aside for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating us in Your image, heirs to Your kingdom. We ask forgiveness for all those things in our lives that make us unacceptable to stand before You and unable to accept our eternal blessings. We praise the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who took on all of our sin so that we may become righteous in Your eyes. We pray, Father, that You will provide the grace for us to live in accordance with the renewed hearts given to us by Jesus. May we live by new principles, new rules, new ends and in new company. May our outward reformation be living testimony to Your kingdom. We pray that those around us will seek the One who knew no sin. We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb without blemish, Jesus Christ.

Earning Crowns from Almighty God

Matthew 25:23
His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

The start of the New Year is often kicked off with many articles and speeches about new beginnings, new year’s resolutions and plans to start anew. What if we focused on the finish instead of the start? After all, when life comes to the finish line, who does not want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

We work our entire lives for rewards here on earth, yet ultimately our greatest rewards will come in the eternal place that has been prepared for us by Our Savior King. Almighty God reserves special reward and special honor for that day when “each man’s work will become evident” and “he shall receive a reward.” 1Cor 3:13-14

These rewards are referred to as “crowns” that are being set aside for God’s servants. The Bible speaks of at least five crowns:

The imperishable crown awarded to those believers who consistently bring the flesh under the Holy Spirit’s control. (1 Cor 9:25)

The crown of exultation awarded to those servants who are faithful to declare the gospel. (Phil 4:1,1 Thess 2:19-20)

The crown of righteousness awarded to those who live each day with eternity’s values in view. (2Tim 4:7-8)

The crown of life awarded to those who endure trials, loving the Savior all the way. (James 1:12)

The crown of glory awarded to those who faithfully shepherd the flock. (1 Peter 5:1-4)

There is no reward on earth that can compare to earning crowns from Almighty God that we can lay at the feet of Jesus when we enter our eternal homes. There is no joy on earth that can compare to the joy of being in heaven with Our Lord.

Let us set our hearts on finishing well. Let us place our earthly desires for rewards in proper relationship with our desires to have Almighty God recognize us for the evidence or our works as we put His kingdom first in all matters of the heart. Let us make our New Year’s plans around joining the joy of Our Master.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for setting aside special rewards for us in Your kingdom. We thank you, Jesus, for making it possible for us to stand before the Father to receive our rewards. Precious Savior, we long for the time when we will be able to place our crowns at Your feet and join You in Your joy. As we move into our new year, may Your grace, O Lord, provide the wisdom and strength that we need to seek Your kingdom first in all things that concern us in this world. We pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to set our minds on finishing well. We ask all these things in the name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Cleansed of All Unrighteousness

2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

When we hear the word sin, we usually think of a single transgression or specific transgressions which go against God’s law. Sin defined in this manner only captures an aspect of sin. In reality, sin is much more. Sin is a complete, damning condition that separates us from God. It is a chasm that we cannot cross on our own. The chasm was created when Adam and Eve sinned. At the moment of their sin, we inherited a condition that separated us from God for all eternity.

Thankfully, our merciful Father in heaven provided a way for us to bridge the chasm created by sin. He provided His Son to take on the burden of all of our sin. He allowed His Son’s blood to be shed so that we may be cleansed of all of the unrighteousness that separates us from the presence of Almighty God. God made His own Son take on our sin so that we might become saints in heaven.

Jesus was not a sinner. He never sinned, yet He was made sin by the Father. He became a sin offering, a sacrifice for the sins of all men. The supernatural plan for all of this was that we might be made righteous in the eyes of God. Let us praise Our Lord for without Him we cannot surrender enough, we cannot labor enough nor can we suffer enough to secure our places in heaven for all eternity.

Let us be forever mindful that there is not a single thing that we can do on our own to pay off the sin debt that we inherited. Let us run to the foot of the Cross to receive the righteousness that is only available to us through Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us insure that our living testimonies reflect the eternal gift that we have been given at an enormous price to Our Savior.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, our thanks are inadequate to cover the redemptive work that cleanses us of our unrighteousness and allows us to stand in Your Holy Presence. There is no manner of word or worship that we could bring before You that would be sufficient to cover the debt that has been paid for us. We bless the name of Jesus who left His throne in heaven to come to earth to redeem us from the debt we could not pay on our own. We humble ourselves before You, Lord. We kneel at the foot of Your Cross and submit ourselves to a life in Your service here on earth and in heaven. We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You forever. We pray that our lives in Christ here on earth will lead others to the foot of Your Cross to receive their salvation. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord of Our Righteousness, Jesus Christ.

The Beatitudes Are Not God’s “To Do” List

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount have become known as The Beatitudes. To many, The Beatitudes offer rewards that do not appear reachable because they require behavior that seems out of touch with what the world has to offer. The promises of the Beatitudes become much clearer and more attainable when we realize that The Beatitudes are not meant to be a “To Do” list of required behaviors. They are intended to point out the need for our relationship with Jesus Christ and how that relationship will impact our lives. It becomes even easier to understand The Beatitudes when we recognize that the first four Beatitudes specifically address our relationship with Jesus.

  • “Blessed are the poor in spirit” speaks to how far we fall short of the glory of God without His Son’s redemption.
  • “Blessed are those that mourn” speaks to our need to express our sorrow for our sinful ways.
  • “Blessed are the meek” speaks to our need to humble ourselves before Our Savior and accept the salvation that He offers us.
  • “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” speaks to our need to become new men and women in Christ.

The remainder of the Beatitudes address how our lives will change when we accept Our Savior. With Christ indwelling in us, we are able to be merciful, be pure of heart and be peacemakers. As a result, we will receive the rewards of this earth as promised by Jesus, but we will also be persecuted for our righteousness in Christ. When all these things have happened to us and for us, we can rejoice and be glad for our reward will be great in the kingdom of God.

Let us humble ourselves before the throne of Almighty God as we express our hunger for an intimate relationship with His Son. Let us surrender to the sanctification process that our indwelling Redeemer brings into our lives. Let us rejoice in our changed and blessed lives in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing to us our great need for Your Son in our lives. We exalt the name of Jesus for it is through Him that we are given the kingdom of heaven. We pray, Lord, for the humility to recognize our filthy and condemned nature without the saving grace of the Cross. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will come along side of us and help us so that we will allow the power of the presence of Your Son in our lives to change how we serve You. We pray that we receive the fullness of the blessings that are promised in the Beatitudes. We ask all these things in the name of Our Rewarder, Jesus Christ.