Jesus is Our Righteousness

"In those days and at that time

I will cause a righteous Branch

to spring up for David,

and he shall execute justice 

and righteousness

in the land.

In those days Judah will be saved,

and Jerusalem will dwell securely.

And this is the name by which it will be called:

'The LORD is our righteousness.'"

Jeremiah 33:15-16 ESV

Like the people of Judah, I am no good on my own.  I am completely incapable of earning God's favor, of meeting His standard, of living according to His moral law. I am headed for death, not physical death but the second death (Revelation 20:14, 21:8). Yet Christ changes everything because He is my righteousness.  What does this mean for me (1 Corinthians 1:30)?

Right.  Naturally, I'm wrong.  In my flesh I'm God's enemy because of my selfish desire to gratify my own fleshly appetites (Ephesians 2:3).  Without even trying I earn God's wrath.   Despite the fact that I think I'm pretty good and live fairly decently, my behavior is considered as evil by God (Colossians 1:21).  And this wrongness, this darkness in my flesh called "sin" separates me from God (Isaiah 59:2).  No matter how much I may want to interact with Him, we are estranged.

Thankfully, He wants to restore my bond with Him even more than I want His presence.  He went so far as to send His Son to earth as a flesh-and-blood man in order to die on the cross of Calvary as a sacrifice for my sins (Romans 3:25).  Now, through repentance and faith in Him I can find that Jesus bridges the gap between me and God, and my relationship with God is restored (Romans 5:10).  In God's eyes, I'm considered as righteous and holy because the righteous and holy blood of Jesus covers my sins like a blanket (1 John 1:7, Isaiah 1:18).

In Christ, I am made right with God through no effort of my own (2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:8).

Pure and Holy.  I'm anything but wholesome and virtuous.  In my flesh I am corrupted by sin, sullied by selfishness, tainted by evil.  Even though I adhere to clean-living standards, I'm far from pure.  Despite the fact that I try to stay above the mess, keeping out of anything that is considered as down and dirty, I'm hardly morally upright by God's standards.  I may try to look good on the outside, but my attitudes are often wrong, my motivations impure, and I usually have an ulterior motive for doing the good things I do.  According to Him, I'm as filthy as can be.

Thankfully, in Christ I am not seen for what I am but for what Jesus is.  His perfection becomes mine when I surrender my life from Him, realizing that my sinful ways are taking me down the wrong road and desiring the journey that leads to life instead.  Through faith in Jesus I find that while there is no good in my flesh, there is nothing but good in Him, and it is His righteousness that becomes my own (Romans 7:18, Philippians 3:9).  When I don Jesus like a garment, I can live differently, because I've been regenerated into a new creation (Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:17).  I can let go of the old ways because they're gone as His sacrifice on the cross has made a new way for me as surely as Jesus rose again on the third day.

In Christ, I am made pure and holy and can live a new kind of life by surrendering to Him.

Free.  I'm bound to its stinking, rotting flesh (Romans 7:24).  I'm destined to die, born to be condemned, heading to Hell in a hand basket (John 3:18, Romans 6:20-21, Revelation 21:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  I'm not able to do good no matter how hard I try, and it's frustrating (Romans 7:19).  I get this feeling that I'm a slave, that I'm bound to my sin.  It both defines me and controls my life.  Sin is my master and I am its slave (John 8:34).

Thankfully, Jesus came to set me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).  Repenting of my sins, realizing the destiny it's earning me and turning toward God through faith in Jesus Christ breaks the shackles of sin that binds me to my flesh.  Now I have the choice of obeying God as the Spirit enables me to do.  And in Him I am able to produce godly fruit in order to bring glory to God (John 15:5).  The blood of Jesus breaks the power of sin in my life so that through Him I can resist the temptation to do what comes naturally (Romans 6:10-11, 1 Corinthians 10:13).  I now have a choice to live as I always have or to nail those sins on the cross, turning from them and walking in freedom (Galatians 5:1, 24).

In Christ, I am set free from the power of sin, given the ability to walk in righteousness (Romans 6:19).

Jesus came to be the righteousness of those who believe in Him, turning away from their own fleshly ways.  When I do trust in Jesus wholly and completely I am made right with God so I can enjoy communion with Him, am deemed as pure and holy despite my filthy nature, and am free from being bound to my flesh.  The righteousness that comes through Jesus makes all the difference to me!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can let Jesus take over my life instead of trying to live the way I think I should.

When do I get frustrated with my inability to break free from my old ways?

How am I failing to turn my efforts into faith so that I can walk in the forgiveness Jesus offers?                             

Drawn to the Foolish

"But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him

and consulted the young men

who had grown up with him

and were serving him."

2 Chronicles 10:8

Rehoboam, son and successor of king Solomon, stuck with his foolish young peers, preferring their irrational advice to that of his father's wise counselors.  Thus, he succeeded in breaking the kingdom in two.

I am similarly drawn to make foolish choices.  Why is that?

Appealing.  My sin nature is all about pleasing me and my desires.  In my flesh, I am lord.  Consequently, if I am to let my natural self lead me, influencing me in the hundreds of choices I make a day, I will find myself doing what is contrary to God's will for my life (Galatians 5:16-18).

When someone close to me causes pain, either intentionally or by accident, I will then seek revenge, actively looking for a way to get back at the person who hurt me.  Or when I taste success and receive attention for my achievements, I will use it as an opportunity to make much of my own talents and efforts, elevating myself in the process.  Or when I have some free time I will use it to catch up on the entertainment options that lead my heart away from Jesus.

I am drawn to foolish choices because they appeal to my sin nature.

Sounds Good.  I know in my heart what God wants me to do, give up or turn away from.  Inward struggle ensues as His holy conviction is not what I want to hear.  In order to appease my conscience, I then seek out advice from those who will say what sounds good to me (2 Timothy 4:3).

King Ahab, leader of Israel, had a similar problem with seeking advice.  He wanted to join with the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, in attacking the Syrians in order to regain a city that belonged to them.  Jehoshaphat wisely suggested seeking the Lord's direction so Ahab gathered 400 prophets who all advised him to carry out his plans.  One prophet, however, Ahab avoided because he "never prophesied anything good." (1 Kings 22:8)  Sure enough, God used Micaiah to warn Ahab against attacking Syria.  Still, Ahab went ahead with his plans and soon met his demise, just as Micaiah had predicted (1 Kings 22).

God warns me against relying on my own rationale, common sense or insight (Proverbs 3:5).  When I use my own standards and line of thinking as a guide, I will always choose what is contrary to God's will for my life.

I am drawn to foolish choices because they sound good to me.

Wrong Goal.  There are many reasons I do what I do, but if I examine my purpose or intended outcome, I will discover what drives me.  For instance, when I water my garden, it is my goal to provide life-giving water to my plants in a way that wastes as little as possible yet provides the maximum amount to the roots without wetting the leaves. As a result, I aim the end of the hose toward the base of the plants.  When my neighbor's toddler comes to help, however, her goal is to have fun and get wet.  As a result, she sprays the water up in the air and rarely provides much water to the vegetation that needs it.

It is the same with life.  If it is my goal to glorify God and make much of His name in every decision I make, my choices will tend to line up with His Word.  If it is my rights I intend to defend, or my agenda I mean to advance, or my feelings I aim to protect, then my choices will conflict with God's will for my life.

When faced with unfair treatment, godly ambition will lead me to keep quiet and pray but selfish objectives will end in my attempts to defend my entitlements and liberties.  When coming to a crossroads, a heart bent on lifting up God's name will lead me to submit to His plan for my life while a self-centered focus will result in making a choice that furthers my agenda.  When facing ill-treatment, if my goal is to glorify God then I will endure it for Jesus' sake but if I'd rather guard my sensitivities, I will find a way to get back at those who hurt me.

I am drawn to foolish choices because my goal is often wrong.

In the same way that Rehoboam stuck with his buddies who gave really bad advice, I am easily drawn to what is destructive or unwise.  The ungodly decisions tend to appeal to my sin nature, sound good to my way of thinking, and line up with the faulty goal I have set before me.  Therefore, I am naturally drawn to the foolish.  Now that I know this truth, it is up to me to stand firm against such folly.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will be aware of my tendency to choose the foolish way.

When do I mostly choose what sounds good to my way of thinking instead of seeking God?

How do I seek out my own goals instead of doing what glorifies God?