Being Like Him - a 40 Day Lenten DevotionalSample

Righteousness

“Don’t act too righteous!” is a very familiar phrase used when someone claims innocence over something that they are equally guilty of. In the Garden of Eden, we see Adam behaving very righteously when he was asked by God if he ate the fruit. He says, “The woman you gave me, gave me some fruit, and I ate it.”. The same man who praised her when God gifted her saying, “Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” is directly blaming God for giving her to him.

Adam was establishing his righteousness by claiming his innocence over the matter, but God did not see him as innocent or righteous. He had assigned man the responsibility to ensure that no one eats the fruit. He was concealing his failure by blaming Eve. Furthermore, he ate the forbidden fruit too, and hence, is very much part of the failure. Despite Adam’s righteous assertions, we see Adam hiding with his wife when God came in search of Him. Though he was a passive participant to the whole incident, he had lost the righteousness with God and he could not face God.

To re-establish the lost rightness with God, no justification of our “rightness” can help. God took the initiative to make us “righteous” in His presence. The Bible reminds us “all our righteousness is filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). The Adamic righteousness that claimed “innocence” is still seen among us today. We feel righteous and justified by comparing ourselves to others. There is no righteous act that can make us stand worthy before Him. It is only through the sacrifice and the sinless blood of Jesus that we can be made righteous!

God had to clothe Adam and Eve by slaughtering an animal, so they may no longer hide in shame. If we are taking shelter in our righteousness like Adam, it is time we confess and allow God to clothe us in His garments of righteousness. No good deed can substitute the sacrifice of God that brings righteousness. To become like Him in righteousness, we have to wear the righteousness that God gives through His son Jesus. To receive that righteousness we have to realize our sinfulness and accept the cost that Jesus paid.

When we look at the righteousness of the Godhead family, they enjoyed a right relationship with each other that never failed each other in commitment and love. Our rightness with God should make us have a right relationship with one another. Anyone who claims to be in a right relationship with God but does not have a right relationship with other human beings are deceiving themselves, because Jesus invades our character, transforming us to be like him! Are we in a right relationship with God and others? If not, let’s get back to Him. He will clothe us in His garment of righteousness so that we reflect Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, righteousness is your gift alone. Clothe me this day with love and humility. May I not hide in the garment of my own righteousness. Would you clothe me with your garment of righteousness made available through the cross? In Jesus name, Amen.