SEARCHLIGHT
You may be doing right in your eyes, but are you right in the sight of God?
SCRIPTURE
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” Jeremiah 23:5,6 NIV
SPOTLIGHT
Knowing someone’s name is so important. But knowing someone by name is even more important! Do you personally know any of the “Who’s Who of the World”? Maybe you know about some prominent people who have world influence but more than likely you don’t personally know them by name. Here’s the twist. You can personally know the “Who’s Who of the Universe”! God, the living Creator of all, wants you to personally know Him by name.
The “Who’s Who of the Universe” has chosen to reveal Himself by identifying His 9 compound names in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. In order to personally know the Living God by name, ask yourself the following question in the next paragraph.
Are you right in the sight of God? There are 4 beliefs that will keep you from heaven:
- You can’t tell me what to do - People don’t like being told what to do. They feel their freedom is being taken away
- I want to do it myself - People want to be autonomous. They want to govern and control their own affairs.
- I will do it my way - People want to be individuals and not copies. They want to be their own distinct person.
- I am right - People value their own decisions. People like to determine what is right or wrong. They prefer to set their own standards of goodness.
Here is the bottom line. To summarize all 4 of the above beliefs, people find it very difficult to be told what is right and what is wrong. They react when told there is an absolute standard to be met to get to heaven. They rebel against there being only one right way to heaven. Are you one of these people?
But there is something more to consider. When people are told to change their behavior in order to receive heavenly eternal life, they feel criticized. They do not like to be told that they are not good enough. The Bible says the one absolute standard for going to heaven is Godly righteousness. But people argue that they are good and do right things. They don’t like being told they are not going to make it. They believe they deserve to go. Do you feel this way?
What is righteousness? In today’s Scripture focus, we MEET THE GREATEST RIGHTEOUS ONE. God defined righteousness when He gave Himself the compound name “Jehovah Tsidkenu.” Jehovah means “I am who I am.” Tsidkenu means “God always does what is right.” Together, Jehovah Tsidkenu means “The Lord Our Righteous Savior” or “The Lord Our Righteousness.” God declared that He is THE GREATEST RIGHTEOUS ONE. This means there is only one way to heaven. By inviting God to be your righteousness, you receive God’s promise of eternal life.
God is not just telling you about how to be righteous, but He is declaring that He will be your righteousness when you declare Jehovah Tsidkenu as your God. He gives you His righteousness. Rather than giving you an object that would make you do right or an angel to help you do right, God decided to give Himself. Righteousness is not a quality you receive but a personal relationship you have with God. His compound name means “I will be your righteousness. When you personally know Me, you become righteous.” Do you know Him?
Are you right in the sight of God? There are 4 beliefs that will get you to heaven:
- I cannot be righteous or good enough in God’s sight to deserve to go to heaven. I cannot achieve righteousness on my own. I cannot make myself worthy of heaven. I cannot do enough good things for God to welcome me into heaven. [Matthew 5:20] I cannot equal God’s righteousness. Only He is truly righteous. Just read Psalm 11:7, 116:5 and 145:17. There are many good people in the world. I am one of them. And so are you. But the problem is that my human righteousness is really self-righteousness. And self-righteousness sets a person up as being their own god.
- I cannot be free from my sin and guilt by doing good works or by trying to pay for it. I cannot give enough money to those who are in desperate need in order to make up for my wrongdoings. [Psalm 143:2b; Romans 3:10-12,23] I cannot use my ingenuity, ability, position, power, prominence, possessions or performance to buy or barter for the forgiveness I need.
- I cannot receive enough physical punishment to pay for my sinful thoughts and behavior. [Romans 6:23; Psalm 14:3] I owe a debt for my sin that I cannot repay.
- I cannot be right in the sight of God without declaring Jesus Christ to be my righteousness. By faith I become righteous in God’s eyes when I confess Jesus Christ came to earth, died on a cross and was resurrected so that I could receive His righteousness. [2 Corinthians 5:21; Acts 13:39; Romans 3:22, 1:17; Philippians 3:9] He took all my unrighteousness [self-righteousness] and replaced it with His righteousness.
These 4 truths are the most important admissions you will ever make in life. You can be right in the sight of God. What you cannot do for yourself, Jesus does for you. I call this the great exchange. Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah Tsidkenu, “The Lord Our Righteous Savior” will replace your righteousness with His righteousness. [Galatians 2:21] He promises your forgiveness of sin. Are you participating in the exchange?
SOMETHING TO DO
God requires Godly righteousness. For God, a foot is 12 inches. It is never 11 inches or 13 inches. A pound is 16 ounces. It is never 15 ounces or 17 ounces. God’s measurements are exact. God requires people to be righteous. People can only become righteous if they trust Jehovah Tsidkenu, Jesus Christ, to be their righteousness. Take some private time to read all the Bible Scriptures mentioned in this devotional to grasp the depths of Godly righteousness.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Thank You, Jehovah Tsidkenu, for being The Lord Our Righteous. Thank You that I am right in your sight because I trust You, Jesus Christ, to be my righteous Savior. Thank You for doing for me what I cannot do for myself. AMEN