Indeed, HE IS

August 12

What is righteousness? How can man, whose essence is steeped in sin, whose every thought turns away from God to contemplate worldly pursuits, even begin to grasp an understanding of this concept that is so totally foreign to his nature? Is there hope that any of us might appropriate righteousness into our understanding, let alone into the expression of who we are?

The Lord Jesus who knows our frame, who came to live the perfect, righteous life we are incapable of living as well as to cover our sins with His own holy perfection, gives us the ‘visual’ of the concept. When we look upon Him, we see One whose every action, every word, every thought was anchored to the mind and heart of our righteous God.

Yet, in seeing, we are still beyond our capacity to emulate Him. Even though the desire of our heart might be to be like Him, even though we may purpose to live righteously before Him with the entirety of the resolve of our will, we don’t proceed very far into our endeavor before we realize that we cannot fulfill our own heart’s longing to be Christ-like by any means of our own.

Should we then abandon all hope? Indeed not, for He has shown us the way! James 2:23 tells us, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness and he was called God’s friend.” When we believe that Jesus died for our sins, when we then trust our God to be our full supply, indeed, HE IS! All we need, including the righteousness it requires to please Him, is lavished upon us.