Justified
When we look desperately to heaven for love and help; when we’ve seen a glimmer of hope that Jesus loves to be the guest of sinners (Lk. 19:7) and we hope His love can be for us too, we will surely find it to be a fact. When God works surrender into our heart, when the gift of God is implanted, then we receive the faith that strengthens us to acknowledge our new standing. We are doing what was impossible before the change, we are on the Lord’s side. We are justified.
Justification is a work wholly supernatural; only God could accomplish this. It was His initiative, by coming to us in our self-centered, miserable existence in sin, and His making the offer of a new covenant. It was His effort, daily, year by year, patiently working to draw our attention from what we deemed important and pleasing here in this temporary life, and to find Him and His everlasting kingdom of much more enduring importance and joy. He called us and chose us; it was not us going on the initiative to choose Him. (Jn. 15:16) If we ever get to know God, its not because we began the process. We love Him because He first loved us. When His love is painted for us in a panoramic mural across the firmament, then we respond. Then we say with David, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea Thy law is within my heart.” (Ps. 40:7, 8)
When we turn back to God we are justified. When we are justified, we are enabled to easily stand on the Lord’s side. (Ex. 32:26) We are not justified by repentance; we are justified by faith. Repentance came; by the gift of God repentance came, but faith followed in hot pursuit. Sorrow for sin gave the initial great adjustment in our thinking, but it’s faith in God’s goodness that maintains that adjustment. Now He is our Father and friend. (Is. 9:6; Jn. 15:13-15) Faith has taken hold of us and claims all the good things in the scriptures. (Rom. 15:4) The word, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” (Matt. 3:17) is God’s acceptance and approval of me, too. The gentle touch of Jesus on those He healed, I also feel—the impression of His fingers on my eyes as He put on the clay made of His spittle and dirt, I gladly feel, and I hear His full, confident, and calm voice telling me to go wash my eyes. (Jn. 9:6) It’s me sitting at His feet, soaking in His deep wisdom and His love for me. (Lk. 10:39) I am next to that leper, who came to Jesus, blind to the crowds falling away in stark terror of his loathsome appearance; we don’t hear their cries regarding our ugliness, we only see Jesus. I am with the young John, absorbed in the greatness of Jesus’ character and acceptance of me, until I can find no words to express it except to invite others to come and see for themselves!!! (1Jn. 3:1;4:18,19; Jn. 1:39;Rev. 22:17) I yield myself as His servant to obey Him and His righteousness. (Rom. 6:16-22) Because He loves me, I will serve Him forever! (Ex. 21:5,6) Faith procures all the promises it finds.
All that’s in the Holy Bible, I’m there, and I conform to all that God put in the Book because Jesus is there. I’m there because Jesus is there; I want to be wherever He is. His Law, His judgments, His requirements, are no longer hard to obey. “O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Ps. 119:97) In fact I find wisdom in them that I never noticed before. As simple as they are, they contain the panacea of this world’s ills. I want everyone to know this wonderful secret! I want them to know Jesus. If they can just catch that same glimmer of hope that led me down this wonderful path, they too will be drawn from the pull of this world and be attracted to Jesus, and from Jesus to His Father and His Father’s kingdom of righteousness.
Justification is a work wholly supernatural; only God could accomplish this. It was His initiative, by coming to us in our self-centered, miserable existence in sin, and His making the offer of a new covenant. It was His effort, daily, year by year, patiently working to draw our attention from what we deemed important and pleasing here in this temporary life, and to find Him and His everlasting kingdom of much more enduring importance and joy. He called us and chose us; it was not us going on the initiative to choose Him. (Jn. 15:16) If we ever get to know God, its not because we began the process. We love Him because He first loved us. When His love is painted for us in a panoramic mural across the firmament, then we respond. Then we say with David, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea Thy law is within my heart.” (Ps. 40:7, 8)
When we turn back to God we are justified. When we are justified, we are enabled to easily stand on the Lord’s side. (Ex. 32:26) We are not justified by repentance; we are justified by faith. Repentance came; by the gift of God repentance came, but faith followed in hot pursuit. Sorrow for sin gave the initial great adjustment in our thinking, but it’s faith in God’s goodness that maintains that adjustment. Now He is our Father and friend. (Is. 9:6; Jn. 15:13-15) Faith has taken hold of us and claims all the good things in the scriptures. (Rom. 15:4) The word, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” (Matt. 3:17) is God’s acceptance and approval of me, too. The gentle touch of Jesus on those He healed, I also feel—the impression of His fingers on my eyes as He put on the clay made of His spittle and dirt, I gladly feel, and I hear His full, confident, and calm voice telling me to go wash my eyes. (Jn. 9:6) It’s me sitting at His feet, soaking in His deep wisdom and His love for me. (Lk. 10:39) I am next to that leper, who came to Jesus, blind to the crowds falling away in stark terror of his loathsome appearance; we don’t hear their cries regarding our ugliness, we only see Jesus. I am with the young John, absorbed in the greatness of Jesus’ character and acceptance of me, until I can find no words to express it except to invite others to come and see for themselves!!! (1Jn. 3:1;4:18,19; Jn. 1:39;Rev. 22:17) I yield myself as His servant to obey Him and His righteousness. (Rom. 6:16-22) Because He loves me, I will serve Him forever! (Ex. 21:5,6) Faith procures all the promises it finds.
All that’s in the Holy Bible, I’m there, and I conform to all that God put in the Book because Jesus is there. I’m there because Jesus is there; I want to be wherever He is. His Law, His judgments, His requirements, are no longer hard to obey. “O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Ps. 119:97) In fact I find wisdom in them that I never noticed before. As simple as they are, they contain the panacea of this world’s ills. I want everyone to know this wonderful secret! I want them to know Jesus. If they can just catch that same glimmer of hope that led me down this wonderful path, they too will be drawn from the pull of this world and be attracted to Jesus, and from Jesus to His Father and His Father’s kingdom of righteousness.
posted by David | 4:08 PM
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