Righteousness, A Free Gift

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer. (1 Peter 3:12 NIV)

Righteousness

What stands out to you in this verse? For me…the eyes of the Lord. God’s eyes are in constant watch over our lives. His ears are attentive to our prayers. Who? The ones who have traded self-righteousness for God’s righteousness. We cannot function full in God’s when we are full of our own. Self-righteousness aligns us with modern day Pharisees. Yes, we have modern day Pharisees who behave much like Biblical Pharisees. They keep watch for someone to crucify.

Free gift

Romans 3:22 – Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. This is a free gift. Who does not love a free gift? Especially, a gift that keeps on giving. We have to desire to receive. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s righteousness. He offered Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood. We are justified free by God’s grace.

Connection

It’s never nice to take a gift and run. To truly lock in this free gift, we recognize the impact on our life. Jesus died for each one to keep us from death. For the wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life. When the connection is made, there is no static. We are linked to the full power of the Holy Spirit. As we fill ourselves with more of Jesus, the world thoughts and actions will leave. We are all a work in progress. Peter did not go from a fisherman to a tender shepherd overnight. To study more on Peter’s transformation, the book of Mark would be a great place to start.

Motivating Monday! Sometimes, all we need to say is thank you.

Be encouraged!