9 Days of Gratitude and Thankfulnessنموونە

God's Righteousness

To be Righteous is considered morally correct and just—a desirable quality for sure! Based on culture and customs, Righteousness could be defined differently because people see truth as a relative idea rather than a standard set by the Creator of the world. For the world, it is a set of behavioral traits. The Righteousness of God is set by His Perfection of who He is.

Scripture is clear that God is Righteous; therefore, our standard of Righteousness is God:

“O Lord, you are righteous, and your regulations are fair.”

-Psalm 119:137

If God’s standard is Righteousness, can we be Righteous? No—because we are still sinners. But the beauty of our Gracious God is that while He has a standard of Righteousness that only He can meet, we are made Righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ.

While we all fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23), He has redeemed us through the Sacrifice of Jesus. When God looks at us, He does not look at our sin or good works but looks at our faith in Jesus Christ and counts that as our Righteousness.

We know what His standards are, and we are given the ability through the Holy Spirit to display some Righteous attributes, but when we fall short (when we sin), it is not our eternal undoing. At these times, we must repent, confess our sins to our Lord, and give Him great thanks for His Grace. He’s not looking for perfect; He’s looking for a heart inclined to Him that He can shape and mold as He makes us look more like Jesus.

Let’s spend time today thanking God for His Righteousness:

“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”

-Psalm 7:17 ESV

We thank God for His Righteousness because we know He will judge us accordingly, not because of our own works, but because of Jesus. There is nothing we can do to earn our way to God, and our Salvation is a Free Gift from God. Thankfully, He will not judge us according to our deeds, but rather He counts us as Righteous because of our Saving Faith in Jesus Christ! Praise God for this beautiful Truth!

Father, thank You for Your Righteousness. Thank You for setting the standard of what it means to be right and providing a way for us to be counted as Righteous through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Your Word says in Isaiah 64:6 that our works are like filthy rags, and on our own, we can’t reach the Standard of Righteousness that You’ve established, so we thank You profusely that when You look at us, You see Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for making a way for us through Your Abundant Love! Amen!

Journal Writing/Prayer Prompt:

Take time to write your own definition of God’s Righteousness. How would you explain to a non-believer God’s Righteousness?

How have you judged other believers for their lack of Righteousness? How does today’s reading change your attitude toward them?

Reflect back on your past compared to where you are now. What sins are you most thankful to be free from because of Christ’s Righteousness in you? How has your life improved since God freed you from this sin?

What sins do you see the Lord still working on in you? Thank Him in advance for the Work He’s doing to remove the hold this sin has on you! Write a prayer of praise to the Lord for the Good Work He’s doing in your heart as He’s making you more like Jesus each day.