Righteousness and Peace (Isaiah 32:17)

Today’s scripture: Isaiah 32:17

When we give our lives to Jesus, those lives don’t immediately become perfect. We have work to do.

I believe that salvation comes from grace, not of works, and the apostle Paul supports me on this (Ephesians 2:8-9).

However, we’re to serve God through what we do—our works.

Works are those things we do to serve others and to serve God. It’s using the gifts He’s given us to glorify Him and help build His kingdom (1 Corinthians 12). It’s giving food to someone who is “destitute” (James 2:15-16). It’s helping the widow and the orphan (James 1:27).

When we do these things for God’s glory, we can know that we will have peace. We will have assurance that God will one day say to us: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord” (Matthew 25:21).

I don’t know about you, but peace on this earth and knowing that God will one day commend me like a proud parent—these make me want to serve Him more faithfully, to serve others gladly, and to live a life that brings a smile to His face.

Do you know the joy of serving God and serving others? Do you want to have the assurance that God will one day call you His good and faithful servant? Ask Him to help you now. Ask Him to reveal to you what you might do to serve Him more.

Future Peace for the Blameless (Psalm 37:37)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 37:37

Blameless? Hardly.

Upright? Uptight, maybe.

I look back on my life, and I’ve hardly been blameless and upright. Most of the time, I’ve been anything but these things. 

I’ve been sinful and rebellious and strong-willed.

I’ve been angry and bitter and unforgiving.

So, if I read this verse right, I shouldn’t be looking forward to a future of peace. And the opposite of peace is what? Despair? Worry? Sick-to-the-pit-of-my-stomach anxiety?

Is that what I have to look forward to?

No!

No, I’m not blameless or upright, at least not in and of myself.

When I believed in Jesus and received His gift of salvation, a miracle occurred: I suddenly became blameless. Jesus died on the cross to wash away my sin, and I am blameless. He took all my sin on Himself, and God no longer blames me for anything I’ve done.

And because I know this, because I know of the price that Jesus paid to save me, to make me blameless, I choose to live an upright life.

I can look forward to that future of hope because—not by anything I’ve done—I am blameless and upright.

Do you still see yourself as facing blame? Do you still see yourself as not worthy of a future of peace? Remember that if you know Jesus, if you’ve asked Him to save you, you are blameless and you can live an upright life. Ask God for assurance of your blamelessness.

A Daily To-Do List (Philippians 1:9-11)

Today’s scripture: Philippians 1:9-11

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians continues with some words of instruction, words that we, too, can take to heart. He calls his readers to love abundantly, learn continually, seek wisdom, choose the excellent things of God’s word, and live righteously.

My goodness. Quite a list, isn’t it? Makes me feel really inadequate.

Loving abundantly … This should be relatively “easy” for followers of Christ. After all, the second greatest commandment is that we’re to love others as ourselves.

Learning continually … I’ve written about this many, many times. We must study and meditate on God’s word. It’s the only way to gain knowledge.

Seeking wisdom … Obtaining God’s wisdom also comes from spending time in His word.

Choosing the excellent things … And what are the excellent things? We’ll delve more deeply into this idea when we get to the fourth chapter, but they’re those things that edify us and help us to be more like Christ.

Living righteously … In order to do this, we need to strive to live as Christ would. We need to follow God’s commandments, focusing on His will.

Paul’s not asking for much, is he? (You can’t hear my mild sarcasm …) The good news? We’re those works in progress we talked about yesterday. We need to ask for God’s help every day to become what He’s called us to be.

With His help, we can follow Paul’s instructions. And maybe one day, we’ll actually live them.

"Perfecting Holiness" (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Today’s scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:1

“Perfecting holiness” … Sounds like a pretty tall order. And one most of us are far from completing.

How in the world can someone as fleshly as I “cleanse [myself] from all defilement of flesh and spirit”? I mean, seriously … I can barely keep my focus where it belongs.

I don’t often argue with Paul, but I have to say: I don’t think we’re able to cleanse ourselves. Maybe I’m the only one, but I am so very incapable of keeping myself pure. I just can’t do it. If I try, I fall. Every time.

I am cleansed through the blood of Christ, and it is only when I confess my sins that I am washed clean (1 John 1:9).

So again, how can I take part of my cleansing and perfecting? By totally and completely surrendering everything I am to my God. If I seek His will for me, then He will continue to perfect me and I will continue to want what He wants for me (see Psalm 37:3-5; Proverbs 3:5-6; Philippians 1:6).

I cannot be holy on my own. I cannot work my way to salvation. I cannot find perfection through my own feeble efforts.

It’s only when I seek God, when I trust Him, when I give up my own desires and focus on His, that I begin to achieve holiness.

Because only then do I desire nothing but Him.

The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1:1)

Today's scripture: Psalm 1:1

2014 was the year of the Psalms ... As expected, we didn't visit all 150, but I do hope your heart has been blessed by the ones we were able to look at.

We started with Psalm 1, and it seems appropriate to spend these last three days of 2014  with the first three verses of that psalm:

I usually use the New American Standard translation as my study Bible (and the link above is, indeed, that translation), but I often look at other versions or paraphrases when I’m meditating on God’s word. I truly believe that, just as the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the original manuscripts eons ago, He has inspired those who have prayerfully translated or paraphrased the words through the centuries.

And so, when I’m looking at verses I find so familiar—like today’s—I love to see how others have been inspired.

One paraphrase I really like is the Contemporary English Version, and it renders today’s verse this way:

God blesses those people
who refuse evil advice
and won't follow sinners
or join in sneering at God.

When I read these words, I see some principles to live by.

First, God blesses those who “refuse evil advice.” We’re surrounded by those who give us advice about how we should live. We watch movies or television shows, or read magazines that tell us we should be prosperous, no matter what it takes. We should be sexually free, not worrying about commitment or intimacy. We should do whatever we need to in order to get ahead, even if that means we have to step on a few people to get there.

We must “refuse” that advice because it goes against God’s word. Instead, we need to be so saturated with truth that we follow God’s ways and His advice.

Second, God blesses those who “won’t follow sinners.” I see this as being a warning about being careful about those with whom we associate. We’ll always have to be around nonbelievers—unless we join a monastery. However, we cannot let them influence us to sin. Instead, we need to be the light of Christ to them.

Finally, God blesses those who don’t “join in sneering at God.” It honestly breaks my heart when I hear people take God’s name in vain, using it as just another word. They don’t reverence Him or speak His name with awe. Others willfully and rebelliously speak of God maliciously and hatefully.

We need to speak words of praise and seek to glorify God with everything we say.

Then God will bless us. And I don’t know about you, but I really desire His blessing!

Righteous God (Psalm 11:7)

Today's scripture: Psalm 11:7

Our God is perfect. Holy. Righteous.

He is sinless ... and we are sinful. We are flawed and frail and fickle. To think we can be in relationship with God is amazing ...

How can He look at our filth? How can He possibly love us?

Because not only is He righteous and holy, He is love.

He looks upon us—in all our willfulness, sinfulness, and rebellion—and He sees His dearly-loved children. Through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, all those stains of our sins are wiped away.

Because of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, righteous God sees us as righteous.

It's astounding. Just astounding.

And when I think the God loves the righteousness in me, I want to honor that. I want to live to bring Him glory; I want to do what is right. I want to be like my Savior.

I want to please my righteous, loving God.

Your Epitaph (Psalm 25:16-22)

Today's scripture: Psalm 25:16-22

What do you want your epitaph to be? What do you want people to say about you when you're gone? What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

I would count it a blessing to be described as a woman of "integrity and uprightness." I've heard integrity as being the same in private as in public. No masks. No hidden agendas. Just "what you see is what you get."

Several people in the Bible have been described with words that illustrate integrity and uprightness. Stephen is called "... a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit ... full of grace and power" (NASB, Acts 6:5, 8). David is called "a man after [God's] own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and he was called the 'friend of God'" (James 2:23). Jacob became the father of the nation of Israel.

Great words for anyone's epitaph, wouldn't you say?

These were not perfect men. We know David committed adultery and arranged for the death of Uriah. Abraham lied twice about Sarah's being his sister. Jacob stole his brother's birthright.

No, they weren't perfect, but they believed in and followed a perfect God. Though they failed sometimes, their hearts were focused on God and His purpose, so they strove to be men of integrity and uprightness.

I may not be (ok, I am not!) perfect, but I too strive to be a woman of integrity and uprightness. I try to be the same person privately and publicly. I do my best to be live the fruit of the Spirit (NKJV, Galatians 5:22) and to filter my thoughts, words, and actions through Philippians 4:8.

Perhaps one day, my epitaph will read something like Stephen's. Or David's. Or Abraham's.

That's the legacy I want to leave. What about you?

Stand in His Holy Presence (Psalm 24:3-4)

Today's scripture: Psalm 24:3-4

God is holy. He is righteous. He is perfect. And He cannot abide with sin and unrighteousness.

Since we are innately sinful creatures, God cannot abide with us. At least in our sinful state.

But He offers a way for us to become holy, for us to have “clean hands and a pure heart.” Since Adam and Eve chose to defy God in the garden, He has had a plan to make us righteous. First, atonement came through the sacrifice of a perfect, flawless lamb. But then through the ultimate sacrifice of the perfect Lamb.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life” (John 3:16). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

When we accept the gift of salvation through belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son, we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). We choose to commit our daily lives to God, and we choose to live as Christ did. We strive to live according to God’s word, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

And one day, we will “stand in His holy place,” spending eternity with our Lord and Savior.

Love One Another (1 John 3:10-12)

Today's scripture: 1 John 3:10-12

Yes, if we are not practicing righteousness, we are not of God. Furthermore, if we do not love our brothers and sisters, we are also not of God.

It all comes down to those greatest commandments of Jesus again:

"'AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31, NASB).

I know I've written this before, but it's so true. If you love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, you're not going to practice sin. Instead, you're going to want to know Him so intimately that you'll spend time in His word. You'll learn what pleases Him. And you'll begin to practice righteousness more and more often.

And if you love your neighbor as yourself, you'll treat them with respect and grace and mercy. Just as Jesus treats you. If you love them, you won't sin against them. You won't cheat or gossip or explode in anger. Instead, you'll be gentle and kind and patient.

Tall orders ... But I believe it's a matter of mindset. You won't always succeed in loving God completely or loving your neighbor deeply, but if your heart and mind are focused on both, you'll begin to live both.