fbpx

A Prayer about Being Permanently Justified

by | May 6, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about Being Permanently Justified

We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. Phil. 3:3-4

Justifying Lord,

How I pray we can really and truly grasp 

once and for all, 

the profound peace 

that comes through being justified by Christ, 

being robed in Christ’s righteousness. 

I don’t know for sure, 

but I’m guessing the internal dialogue in my friends’ minds 

may go something like mine:

Oh I feel bad for not going to the women’s event. 

But I had to go to my son’s award ceremony.

Oh I wish I hadn’t said that. Now she’s going to think I don’t care about her. 

But I did send her a birthday text.

Oh why didn’t I hang my keys on the hook so I wouldn’t lose them?

But I did keep up with my phone all weekend.

It can go on and on like that, 

all day, 

all of our lives: 

we accuse ourselves 

and then we justify ourselves 

in an endless internal monologue.

Lord, spare us from this miserable guilt.

Your Word “accuses” us of actual sin clearly: 

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). 

That is the truth about us outside of Christ.

But thanks be to God, your Word also tells us 

the source of our justification, 

and it’s not in ourselves: 

“And to the one who does not work 

but believes in him 

who justifies the ungodly, 

his faith is counted as righteousness…” (Romans 4:5).

Oh, Lord, we are free at last, 

free at last.

Make us certain of this glorious reality: 

our righteousness is in and through Christ alone. 

Now, robed beautifully in his righteousness, 

we can run to tell others, 

we can live to love the God 

who ended this dreadful internal monologue 

with Jesus’ words from the cross,

“It is finished” (John 19:30).

In Jesus’ righteous name. Amen.

Read Philippians 3:1-14.

A Prayer about What Justifies Us

by | Jun 25, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Theology

A Prayer about What Justifies Us

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. Galatians 5:4

Faithful Lord,

May it never be!

May we never be alienated—

cut off from, severed from, estranged from

our one and only Savior, Jesus Christ!

The apostle Paul is pretty ticked in Galatians.

Some people have come along and told the Galatians,

who were “running superbly” (Galatians 5:7),

that they had to be circumcised to be true Christians.

That would be like someone telling me

right after I became a Christian

that I wasn’t a true Christian

if I did not tithe ten percent of my income every month,

attend church every week,

and read my Bible every day.

Of course, those are ALL good things to do,

ways we grow in knowing and loving you,

but they are not the basis of your love for us.

We must know beyond a shadow of a doubt

that it is “by grace we are saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).

We must know that we don’t deserve our salvation;

we did nothing to earn it,

and we can do nothing to keep it.

That’s what it means to not “fall away from grace.”

Lord, humble us again.

Expose our folly —

Show us anything we do that we think makes us worthy of your grace.

And, so transform us that we live out of that grace,

running superbly

as we give and pray and seek and share

this amazingly good news!

In Jesus’ very-near name. Amen.

Read Galatians 5:1-10; Ephesians 2:1-10.

Perfect Timing

by | Sep 23, 2009 | Learning Story

I don’t know about you, but I often become frustrated with how long the process of sanctification, making me more like Jesus, seems to take. Iaian Duguid reminds us that we are already perfectly beautiful in the eyes of God because we now own Christ’s righteousness — we are ‘justified.’ He also reminds us that even as we struggle in our sin, we have much to be thankful about right now. God is working in us through the gospel of grace, and his timing is perfect!

“In Christ we have someone who has taken the death that we deserved and has paid fully for our sins. His perfect obedience is now credited to our account, exactly as if it were our own. In him we are justified freely right now, sinners though we are. In that reality lies our hope, our peace, and our comfort in the weary wilderness. How long, then, will you and I refuse to believe in this God who has so wonderfully demonstrated his love for us in so many ways? How long will we trust in ourselves and judge others? How long will we become angry and frustrated over our own lack of sanctification and the failures of others?

We must look to the Lord and submit our hearts to him, trusting in his goodness and mercy, believing that his timing is perfect, being filled with thankfulness for his death and resurrection. We must ask God to teach us wisdom and patience, grace and gentleness, and, above all, love. The day will come when our earthly struggles and rebellions will be over, and the Lord will welcome us into his presence; then all our frustrations will finally be over. Until then, the good news of his gospel of grace will faithfully sustain our thirsty souls step by step along the way.” Iaian Duguid, Numbers

Pin It on Pinterest