Father God,
Your perfect ways are the standard
upon which I choose to live!
Focus of the Month: Promises, Promises
I would never claim to be a good cook; yet I try. In fact, my adult daughters have a little private joke about the way I cook scrambled eggs. While it doesn’t matter what they call them…it does matter that they believe I cook them wrong. I can argue and contend that my way is actually right but it will not change their thinking. Why not? Because the standard they hold to for a good scrambled egg is different than mine. Think about this – every decision we make between what is right and what is wrong reveals the standard of which we cling to; and for a true follower of Jesus, the standard is always set by God.
In Jeremiah 23:6 God reveals himself as Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “The Lord our Righteousness.”
There is nothing sinful in God. There is no wrongness in Him. He is only light, He can only be righteous. We cannot be righteous outside of Him. So where is our hope? Our hope entered this world as a baby boy named Jesus. You see Jesus is the one who settled our debt. He is the only sinless man and also the Son of God. And after living a life free of any crime or sin He chose to accept a tragic death on a cross as a criminal. The reason: us. The purpose: to bring us into a place of righteousness with the Father.
So, am I saying that as a Christ follower, we get to live out this righteousness even though we are unable to be sinless? Yes. There must be a catch. No catch. When we truly accept that Jesus is who He says He is. That we believe in the one true God Almighty, the creator of the heavens and the earth; that we have belief that Jesus died, was buried and rose again to live at the right hand of the Father; that we know we are sinners and do not deserve to be forgiven yet we are; then we can receive the gift from the Father that is eternal life.
It is so easy to lean on the standards of the world, others, and even our friends and family. If we are honest many times we choose the easier path. We do not get ridiculed as much if we do not seem different than others. We blend in so we do not have to defend our position. My heart aches for the times I have denied my God for the opinion of someone else. My eyes tear for I know He chose to die for me yet at times I do not want to chance being challenged.
Following a path of righteousness means sacrifice on my part. I must give up my selfish desires and ungodly choices, to boldly stand on God’s word. I must align my position with my practice. The sacrifices I make will never compare to the one that was made for me. All this is possible because the battle for me has already been won. Jesus defeated the grave. It is finished. Rejoice that the Lord is our Righteousness!
Holding fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16; John 3:16; Romans 12:2
