Re: flect-Ing on Jesus as our Righteousness

It is easy for me to become discouraged over my sin.  I can begin to believe the lie that those sins will keep me from enjoying the eternal blessings that God has promised.  Why is this a lie that I must fight in my life?  Because in myself, I will never be righteous and able to stand before God.  And if this is where my hope is, then I am in serious trouble.
 

In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; He will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called; The LORD Our Righteousness.

Jeremiah 33:15-16

 

Jesus is Our Righteousness.  The glory of Heaven is not dependent upon anything that I can muster on my own; it is only the work of Jesus.

 

Yet, we are told in Matthew 5:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.

 So, is there really a work I must do?

 

Think about the last time you were hungry—I mean really hungry.  What goes on in your mind when you experience true hunger?  It is hard to think about anything other than the food you hope is coming soon.  To be hungry implies a craving, a feeling of emptiness.

 

Is this how you approach Jesus?  Do you seem empty without Him and feel as though you are wasting away?  Are you unable to think or focus because your craving is so great? Jesus is Our Righteousness.  He desires for us to hunger for Him, and He promises that we will be filled.

 

Jesus stands before His Father and allows His righteousness to cover us so that we are able to stand before God, yet He calls us to hunger for more of Him.

 

We live in a world where our wants and needs are satisfied quickly and with relative ease, so how can you develop a hunger for the righteousness of Jesus?  You must taste Him by reading His Word and spending time communicating with Him.  You must think about Jesus throughout your day, asking God to give you such a deep craving for righteousness that, without the Source of true righteousness filling you, you will starve.

 

May we each hunger and thirst for more and more of Jesus every day!

 

Love, Cheryl