"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand... there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Near the end of Jesus’s life, just before his captors nailed him to the cross, they placed a crown on his head. Someone had fashioned a wreath made of twisted thorns just for the occasion. They enjoyed humiliating Him by mocking His truthful claim of being a King. Christ suffered every kind of abuse as he hung dying -stripped naked on a cross. He did not die a peaceful death. Instead, he died in great agony in body and
But no one earns God’s righteousness. It can only be transferred when we no longer rely on our own works, but believe in the one who powerfully declares the ungodly to be righteous in his eyes. It is faith that transfers God’s righteousness into your account (Romans 4:5)! Have you made the trade yet? It's the most excellent investment you will ever make. I'm not referring to the stock market on Wall Street. This trade is without brokerage fees. In fact no money or hard work is necessary. Where do you make it? The cross on which your Savior died is where you seal the deal. Shame and guilt are all we have in our account. Sin is what we are because we do not know we are bankrupt. We remain
For I know that although they are deeply devoted to God, they are unenlightened (Romans 10:2). Is it possible to sincerely devote yourself to God and yet not know Him? Can you dutifully read your Bible, and find your dedicated spot on the pew every Sunday bereft of any genuine connection with God? Yes, it is possible. People believe in fantasies. They spend money to enjoy them and dress up in clothes to act out their whims. Clubs and societies form around unrealities that join people of the same mindset. A sense of fellowship with others due to a common outlook on life gives birth to a shared identity regardless if its foundation is fiction. Jesus is not only a historical person but also
…not having my own righteousness, … but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith (Philippians 3:9 NKJV). Every morning wake up, and before you smell the coffee, receive the mercies of God. His mercies are new every day. The union we have with Christ comes with great benefits. Because of His death on the cross, we too are dead to sin. But don’t stop there because His resurrection makes us alive to His righteousness, and He ascended to seat us in Himself in heavenly places. How beautiful is that? You are righteous through your faith in Christ. Man has his type of righteousness. It’s a do- it- yourself job always trying to one-up someone else. It’s exh
