2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Genesis 18:16-19:38 ESV, Matthew 6:25-7:14 ESV, Psalm 8:1-9 ESV, Proverbs 2:6-15 ESV
Daily Verse: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 ESV)
DIKAIOSUNE (1343): “character or quality of being right or just. The sum total of the requirements of God (Matt. 6:33). Whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God.”[i]
Jesus creates right relationships.
Righteousness, a word often heard in church language, comes through Jesus. Placing faith in God’s Son means submitting your life to Him.
Simply saying, “My way ain’t working, God. I’m going to try your way,” begins a journey you will never regret.
Pursuing the life of Jesus means getting to know Him through Scripture. Learn how Jesus handled life’s difficult situations. Imitate what the Master did the best you can. Don’t expect perfection from yourself. Give yourself grace, knowing God’s already forgiven you.
Grace, not grief.
Instead of forgiving myself, I give myself grief. Judging myself as an idiot because of whatever flub I’ve done, natural. Thinking negatively about ourselves, something we all do. But God doesn’t. When we take our foibles to God, He forgives us completely. We’re the ones who struggle to let ourselves off the hook.
Becoming right with God means accepting our imperfections, laying them at the foot of the Cross. God takes what we perceive as weaknesses and turns them into strengths, making us righteous.
Sharing my struggle to forgive myself with my Pastor, he made an excellent point. When we confess our sins to others, we create an opportunity to connect. Since all of us struggle to forgive ourselves somehow, we can relate to the battle. We give others freedom to do the same by talking about our skirmishes. Vulnerability breeds vulnerability.
Become right with God today; believe in Jesus. Then get to know Jesus through the scriptures. Imitate the Son, embrace His righteousness.
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. (p. 69) Thomas Nelson
