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He Justifies Us
Andrea Lende • September 11, 2020
Romans 3:26
He Justifies Us
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/He-Justifies-Us-ejeqbq
Daily Word:
Romans 3:26
“It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has [true] faith in Jesus.”
The Lord is righteous, good, and true.
He is Creator.
He is the Maker of all things.
He is Almighty.
He is more than words can possibly describe.
God, the Father, was willing to send His Son this earth and sacrifice His life so that we can be righteous in His eyes.
And Jesus was willing to be the sacrifice so that we would be brought closer to His Father.
It was an act of true love and service.
There are so many days I feel unworthy.
Unworthy of His grace.
Unworthy of His love.
Unworthy of His attention.
And certainly, unworthy of His sacrifice.
But God desires relationship with us.
Just as we desire relationship with our children, God wants a relationship and deep connection with us.
Just as we guide our children through their lives, the Lord will guide us if we ask Him to.
Just as we want to comfort and console our children, the Lord wants to lift us up when we are down.
Just as we celebrate our children’s successes and wins, the Lord wants to celebrate us.
And just like we want to help our children through times of testing and trials, the Lord wants to help us with our trials and difficulties.
There is nothing He cannot do.
All we have to do is believe.
Our faith and belief in Him Who saved us makes us righteous in the eyes of God.
The more time we spend with the Lord the more we see Him working in our lives.
We become more sensitive to His presence.
Our faith increases further.
And the more our faith increases the more we rely on the Lord and become closer to Him.
Today I choose to spend time with the Lord as Jesus intended by His sacrifice allowing me a relationship with Him.
May you find that as you spend time with the Lord your faith will increase and will bring you closer to God Almighty.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for sending Your Son to sacrifice His life for mine. Thank You for His willingness to leave heaven, live on this earth as a pauper, and die for my sins so that I may be close to You. Thank You for choosing me to know You, Lord. Increase my faith so that I look to You for my Source of everything. Help me drink from the waters that never run dry. You, only, satisfy. This life is empty without Your constant presence. Keep me seeking You, Lord. Keep me at Your feet. Help me not be swayed by the things of this world. Help me stay in peace as I look to You for everything. Lead and guide me this day, Father. May You watch over and protect me and the family You have given me. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: Your faith in Me and My Son has saved you, My daughter, and I will watch over you.
Response: Undeserving of Your love and care, thank You, Almighty Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.