THANKFUL

Friday, September 3, 2021

Lord, You do for us what is impossible for us to do. You called us to “be perfect, as Your heavenly Father is perfect” Matthew 5:48. What? Your comment leaves us dumbfounded, wondering how we can keep such an impossible command. How can we keep Your command to be “perfect” when we were born with a sin nature? You know it’s impossible for us to keep Your edit, so You made a divine plan to do what we can’t do, which involved Your marvelous grace, but also involved the cross — shame, suffering, and death — and resurrection on Easter Sunday.  Jesus, when we trust in Your finished work on the cross, where You exchanged Your righteousness, Your perfection, for our sins and failures, You would declare all who did so as righteous, or “perfect.” That doesn’t sound like a fair exchange, but demonstrating Your marvelous love and grace, we’re thankful You were willing to do that. You explained there was no other way for us to be redeemed from our sins except by the cross (Hebrews 9:22).  Now, when our heavenly Father sees us, those who have placed their faith in You, we can you hear Him saying, “Sins? What sins? I only see my Son Jesus’ righteousness all over you. My child, you’re perfect!”

Living in perfection by Your grace, Lord God, Amen!