Are you struggling to do good? Are you seeking to be recognized as an upstanding citizen? Would you like people to say good things about you? Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? Is your faith waning?
Most of us want others to say good things about us. We care about our reputation. We want to be known as someone who is good. Yet, we also know internally of all our failures, which often cause us to have a lower opinion of ourselves, whether we voice it or not.
We can remember every little failure we have ever made. For instance, I can remember being in sixth grade, which is more than forty years ago, borrowing a nickel from another kid and never repaying it. Having those smallest of failures in our heads, it is no wonder we often think of ourselves as a failure. It is no small wonder we continue to struggle to think we don’t live up to others’ expectations.
Here is the hard truth. We don’t have to live up to other people’s expectations, we are to live up to God’s expectations. Unfortunately, we cannot do that either. So, what are we to do? The good news is this, Jesus died, was buried, and rose again so that we might be made righteous.
What does it mean to be righteous? It means to be made perfect, just as God is perfect. It means that we are forgiven, because Jesus paid the price. It means that God sees us through the veil of Jesus and sees us as righteous children. No, we are not perfect of our own accord or doing, but we are perfect when seen through Jesus.
How do we attain this righteousness? Through our belief in Jesus. It cannot be a simple belief, but one that goes down deep in our heart. We are to believe that He is the Son of God. We are to believe He is our perfect sacrifice. We are to love Him with all our heart. All of this is to encourage us to do as He commanded us. We cannot fully repay Him, but we can strive to repay as much as we can. This is not done through works, but through our love, behavior, and attitude. It is done by putting God first in our lives.
I pray we all seek the righteousness God offers us. I pray we put God first in our lives. I pray each one of us believes in Jesus wholeheartedly. Put God first. Believe in Jesus. Allow your belief to change who you are. Show the love of Jesus. Be righteous.
Romans 4:23-24 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Marty Pressey 