How Are We Measuring Up
“… I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”1
My three-year-old daughter is constantly “measuring” how tall she is and comparing herself to me or her older siblings. Using her imaginary measuring stick, she is as tall as me, even though she is far from it in reality. Nonetheless, I share in her awe and excitement, because although she has a ways to go, she will be as tall or taller than me… one day!
My daughter is not alone in her using her imaginary measuring stick to her own benefit. There are many Christians who use their own ideas or personal opinion to measure how righteous they are. They believe that their good works will outweigh the bad, and therefore give them entrance into Heaven. However, God made it clear in Romans 3:23 that ALL have sinned and fall short of His glory. There is nothing in our human power that we could ever do to make us worthy enough of Heaven. We all fail to measure up to God’s perfect standard, which is why we desperately needed forgiveness. This is why Jesus, in His perfect love, died on the cross for us. He removed our sin and gave us His righteousness. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, that we can have eternal life with Him.
I am so thankful that God, in His great compassion, has covered us in His righteousness, and as it says in Psalm 103:8-12, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Suggested prayer: Dear God, please forgive me for the times I have tried to measure my righteousness up to my own humanly flawed standards. Thank you for Jesus, through whom I can have complete forgiveness of sins and life eternal. Help me draw closer to you each day and continually grow in Your righteousness. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.
1. Philippians 3:9 (NLT).
Today’s Encounter was written by: Crystal B.
All articles on this website are written by
Richard (Dick) Innes unless otherwise stated.