"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," (Romans 3:23-24)
TODAY'S WORD , have you ever wished you could change your past and undo things that you did? God can do that for you. He can justify you, declare you righteous, and erase the record, so to speak, as though you never had done anything wrong.
I love the way the Bible lays it out, saying we are hopeless, we are helpless, and there is no way for us to be righteous. And then when we cry in absolute despondency, "There is no way for me," Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). And instead of merely forgiving us, which would be enough, He says, "I am going to declare you as though you had never sinned. Now I am going to put a new nature in you. Now I am going to make you a different person."
We are justified, and we are redeemed through the blood of Christ (Romans 3:24-25). The word "justified" means that something has been declared right, just as if it never had happened. The word "redemption" carries the idea of delivering, especially in the case of paying a price.
God paid a price for you. God made propitiation. What does that mean? It's a word that carries the idea of appeasement or satisfaction. God is satisfied with what Jesus did at Calvary, not with what we did in our attempts to please Him in our own ability, but with what Jesus did.
When Mark Twain was asked what he thought were the two greatest words in the English language, he replied, "Not guilty." And if we take God's provision, He will pronounce "Not guilty!" over our lives.
A PRAYER FOR YOU TODAY Dear Lord, please give me the patience to make it through this busy day with all the hustle, demands and distractions of modern life. Let me find the quiet time to hear your voice and feel your calming presence. I ask this in your son's name, Amen. |
