His Righteousness Becomes Ours

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9)

He is faithful! It doesn't get any simpler than that. Every day, I fall short for how Jesus wants a Christian to live. His example was without sin. His life was lived with love for all humanity, as evidenced by his sacrificial death on the cross. I, on the other hand, still have hatred in my heart at times. I still chew on a grudge longer than I should and withhold my forgiveness for the wrongs done to me. Righteousness seems to flee from me like a frightened animal from a hunter.
My only goal in life is to be as much like Christ as I possibly can but I fail miserably most of the time. The difference between me now and the person I was before I was saved is, now I know I need to ask for forgiveness. In my younger days I didn’t believe in a God who could forgive me. Before, my sins were willful, now they are steps off the path of righteousness. Now I confess my shortcomings to the Lord as soon as I realize I’ve done them.
I tell him my sins and he is faithful to forgive them. He forgives me even though I don't deserve it! Why? God is the ruler of the universe; in his economy, grace prevails, and forgiveness is his business. My deficiencies are gone, forgotten, as though I never committed them. It’s only through the blood shed by Christ on the cross that I am made righteous! It’s not through any works I do, it’s only by Jesus.




Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
(Hebrews 12:14-15)

Heavenly Father, you gave us the Prince of Peace to teach us compassion and love. We thank you for his example and his sacrifice. You want us to always get along with everyone we meet, especially unbelievers. Today, there are different ways we meet others. There’s the old fashion way and meet in person, or there’s the anonymous way and meet through social media. In whatever way we meet, we can be a good witness, drawing people to Christ, or we can push people away. Our society has become so fractured by the political winds. They blow us to opposite ends of the political spectrum. When our worldview seems threatened, we tend to act like we’re not saved at all. Forgive us, Lord, when we forget you love them as much as us. Don’t let us become so dogmatic we spend all our time arguing, instead of spreading the good news. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
Location: Kendall, NY 14476, USA

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