Are you ready to end the internal monologue of guilt and self-justification?
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. Philippians 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.
