Our Righteousness

Our Righteousness

By Dr. Charles Stanley

Ephesians 2:1-10

Anyone who thinks of himself as a pretty good person ought to take a look at God’s assessment of humanity. He says we all come into the world spiritually dead and are ruled by Satan, his world system, and our own sin nature, or flesh. In the Lord’s eyes, we are children of wrath who deserve only punishment.

On the other hand, God is so pure and holy that He is totally separated from all sin and cannot look upon it with any favor or approval (Hab. 1:13). Everything He does is appropriate and beneficial; by comparison, even mankind’s righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). Yet even though we have nothing of value to offer Him, the Lord wants us for His own and has done everything necessary to draw us close.

Those of us who have placed faith in Jesus Christ have been made spiritually alive in Him, and all our sins have been forgiven. There’s a striking contrast between what we were and who we now are in the Lord. But this change has nothing to do with how good we’ve been. Even the faith with which we respond to the Savior comes from God. We can never make ourselves righteous; it’s all a gift from Him. And once He declares us justified, we will never be pronounced guilty again.

God has said that in the ages to come, He wants to show the “surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us” (Eph. 2:7). For all eternity, we will be showered with this awesome demonstration of His love. As great as our blessings are now, they’ll pale in comparison to what awaits us in heaven.

Is Satan Spamming You?

Is Satan Spamming You?
by Ryan Duncan

Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship The Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" - Matthew 4:10

"This stock is about to take off!" ... "You won’t believe this Miracle Pill!" ... "Hello, I am a Nigerian Prince" ... These are only a few of the emails that have ended up in my spam folder. We've all received them, those obnoxious messages that try to trick you into sending money or personal information to some unknown source. All spam email follows the same design. First, they open up by preying on a person’s fear, insecurity, or general discontent. After that, they propose a simple solution, an easy win for the reader, which convinces the reader to put their trust in something very untrustworthy.

Thankfully, most computers now come with software to filter out the phony emails. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for everyday life. I’ve found Satan often uses the same tactics as these spam mails whenever he wants to attack a human being. First, he takes advantage of your worry, your self-image, or something else in your life. Then he offers you something that might fix the problem, but in truth, only makes things worse. These temptations will always be present in life, but Jesus offers us a powerful reassurance in Matthew 6 that equips us to defend ourselves.

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.” Matthew 6:25-29

Many people have taken this verse to mean that as long as we trust in God, nothing bad will happen. Not so. We live in a fallen world, and bad things are always going to happen. What this verse does promise is that no matter what we face in life, God will always be there. Sometimes in the healing we desperately prayed for, other times in the shoulder we cry on.

Whatever roads our lives take, Christ is there to provide for us. Don't allow Satan to fool you with the offer of an easy fix, don’t let fear and despair dictate your actions. God is there, and he will help you.

Intersecting Faith and Life: As a Christian, you are not alone in your struggles. Find support in a small group or an accountability partner.   

What Will Heaven Be Like?

What Will Heaven Be Like?
By Dr. David Jeremiah

Many people picture heaven as a never-ending church service in the sky. Or they think we will all become angels who float around on clouds playing harps for the rest of time. Neither of these make eternity seem very appealing. And both are completely inaccurate according to the Bible. In fact, heaven will be glorious and full of grandeur. We will experience fullness of joy as we live in the presence of God and fellowship with each other. There are so many reasons to look forward to heaven, I want to give you a glimpse of three.

For one, our friendships will be richer. One of the most fascinating glimpses we have of heaven is in Hebrews 12:22-23, a passage that provides a list of heaven’s inhabitants.

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. Now, who in that group is boring? We’re going to spend eternity with God, with His angels, with the Old Testament saints, and with Christians through all the ages. Can you imagine being in an environment like that?

There will be no misunderstandings or tiffs or tension among us. Our relationships will be so much healthier in heaven than here. Down here we have problems even with our closest friends. You know what that’s like. Someone says something to you, and you aren’t sure how to interpret it. You react to it— perhaps overact. You say to yourself, “I wonder what he meant by that? I wonder why she said that?”

In heaven there will be none of that. Our relationships will be open, honest, interesting, loving, and uncomplicated by sin or our sinful natures. We will dwell with God, the angels, and one another in perfect compatibility and refreshing intimacy.

We will all be together in heaven. It won’t make any difference when we lived on earth. Imagine being best friends with people whom we’ve only read about in the Bible or in books. I’m eager to meet Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Imagine having all the time we wanted to talk to Augustine, George Muller, Martin Luther, and William Tyndale. We’ll be great friends with our missionary heroes—William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Jim Elliot, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, and Eric Liddell, the Olympic champion who left it all to go to China for Christ.

Heaven is going to be such an incredible time of unlimited fellowship with people who have lived in all ages that I can’t begin to comprehend it, but I know it’s true. The Lord Jesus even gave us a glimpse of this on the Mount of Transfiguration when He stood there talking to Moses and Elijah, as the twelve disciples listened

And don’t get me started on the fellowship we’ll enjoy with the angels! In heaven, we’ll be part of it all; and all our mentors, heroes, friends, ancestors, and descendants—all who know Jesus—will be there with us!

A Prayer to Offer Up in the Morning

A Prayer to Offer Up in the Morning
By Rebecca Barlow Jordan 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23

Before busy lifestyles try to steal our time and energy, we can spend a few moments with God every day. If He offers us new mercies and compassions with each sunrise, then in an attitude of gratitude and worship, we can offer our lives to Him in prayer every morning. To help you begin your day with joy and purpose, here is a morning offering prayer you can pray to God:

A Morning Offering to Pray Each Day

Lord, I’m coming to you with my personal morning offering prayer. I worship you today and want to give you praise for another day of life. As I begin to think about your amazing grace and for all you have done on my behalf, I am overwhelmed with joy. Your love draws me into your sweet presence the moment my eyes open. Even when sleepiness tries to pull me back under the covers, your tug on my heart awakens me to start the day right with you.

This morning I offer back to you this day and my life as a gift of gratitude. You deserve the best, and I want to give you all that I have and am in a fresh new way. Write on my heart the lessons you want to teach me today. Fill my mouth with your words and thoughts, not mine. I long to live this day for you, with my affections set on things above, not focusing on worries here on earth.

You gave your life for me, an offering of death to pay the penalty of my sin. In return, I long to make your heart happy by offering my life as a living sacrifice to you. Some days I feel like I have so little to offer; yet you know my heart. You created me, and you love me just as I am. You require nothing from me but faith, because your love is a gift with no strings attached. I can’t earn it, and I can’t buy it. But, Lord, out of a deep love for you, I desire to live for you today in such a way that encourages others. I want to bless you as well as those who cross my path. If I give to others with mercy and compassion, you’ve said it’s the same as giving to you.

So accept my morning offering prayer today, Lord. May my life be a sweet fragrance to you, as I seek to follow you, to love you with all my heart, soul, and mind, and to love others as myself. Use my mouth, my mind, my hands, and my feet— all of me — as instruments of your peace. May I be a light in the darkness for others or simply a pitcher of kindness poured out for you. Here is my life; here are my talents. My gifts are yours to do with as you please. Order my steps today; guard my thoughts; and bathe my actions with thoughtfulness and goodness, so others can see your reflection in me. I trust you; I wait for you, and I listen for your voice. Your strength is all I need. With eagerness I begin this day and offer my life to live for you, anyway you want.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.