What A Message!!

This morning I was doing my quiet time. I'm going through The Search For Significance with my friend & mentor Cindy Tafoya. This particular chapter is on Justification and it had me searching back and forth through the New Testament for things like "What is justification?" "Are you really holy & blameless, and if so why?" I doubt I need to tell you that my brain hurt after about 45 minutes but my heart was just thumping with excitement. It had been a while since I just let it sink in that I stand before the King of Kings as a holy and blameless daughter....wow.... And it's not just "in God's eyes" (as I have spent my whole life saying.) I assure you that none of the scriptures said, "In God's eyes...." Nope, they just very emphatically stated that because of Christ's sacrifice WE ARE. God is not blind to who we are because of His love for us, rather, His love (and sacrifice) has changed who we are...WE ARE BLAMELESS. How can that be? I don't know but I am so thankful for it!
What I wanted to share with you this morning is from The Message. I used it to help wade through all the complex theology of Romans. It's a trip...I highly recommend reading it sometime. Anyway, here is Romans 5:1-2 in the NAS (for those of us who consider ourselves scholars)
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand: and we exult in hope of the glory of God."
I hope you find these verses from The Message as thrilling as I did this morning. I pray they rest on you and change your day....God your grace is beyond amazing!

"By entering through Faith into what God has always wanted to do for us-set us right with him, make us fit for him- we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that is not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand-out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.


Ya'll this is for all of us, the worst sinner among us. If you're like me, when you think of forgiveness your mind takes you back to your lowest and most awful moments. You're reminded of just how depraved you really can be. But the very miracle of justification means we are "fit for Him!" And when we throw open our doors to God, we find Him there with His already opened before us. THIS SHOULD CHANGE US...If we acknowledge this as truth it should mark us!


So our question for today is: Do our lives reflect the truth of our justified status? And if you are like me and your answer is no; your life has been marked by defeat, self-loathing, depression or worse, let's trade in the lie. Let's throw open our doors to God, and find Him there with His already wide open, waiting to receive us. We are fit for our King because of Christ's sacrifice. Let's live this ya'll.....