WRITTEN BY MICHELE HANSEN
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
Imputed righteousness. It means that it has been given to us. We didn’t do it. In fact, scripture says that our righteousness is like filthy rags. Jesus, through salvation, has given us His perfect and complete righteousness…We can’t add to it or work for it. However, we will remain in process of growth and maturity until we are with Him in heaven.
God intends to use us as His ambassadors. It would make sense for our holy, righteous and perfect God to work in the life of His submitted followers to continually develop us through sanctification, being set apart. We are called to represent the Creator God.
Healing and growing never stops this side of heaven. The result of my human attempts at managing my issues have, at times, resulted in sideways emotions and uncontrolled emotional outbursts. I have received a great deal of healing and revelation in many areas, but there is always just a little more sumthin’…a little more refining and discovery.
We all have patterns of behavior. Sometimes we’re aware of it, and sometimes we haven’t a clue why we do the things we do, or even know we are doing it. But God knows. He is also the One who created us and knows what it’s going to take, the timing and the circumstances, that will bring about His will and discovery in our lives.
God is so faithful. He knows we need to reach a place in our walk with Him where we can understand and accept the revelation of new discovery in our life. Like a new level of healing that’s next on our journey of sanctification.
Most Christians understand the concept of layers, like an onion, within our souls that have to be peeled back to reveal the truth of what’s going on in us. We recognize triggers and desire to find out why we react like we do. It’s a lifelong journey, and as we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we grow in our ability to cooperate with Holy Spirit in that process of discovery, illumination, receiving truth and ultimately, healing.
One of the other fascinating things to me is that God doesn’t wait till we have all our ducks in a nice neat and tidy row, oh no, in my experience, for the willing disciple, He throws us right into the deep end as He uses our journey to encourage others on their journey. God is glorified, not in a perfect representation, but in the faithful struggle of the surrendered follower of Christ.
How do you know, dear saint, that in your battle for surrender and sanctification, your faithful, white knuckled grasp on the hem of His garment isn’t the encouragement a fellow traveler needs to keep going in their journey?
Whether we have been walking with the Lord our whole lives or just committed to a relationship with Him two days ago, we all have a story. We all know what it’s like to suffer from anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, envy, loss, grief, hurt so deep we think we may never recover…the list is long and varied. What I struggle with may not bother someone else. But we know, as believers, someone who stepped into the middle of it all.
Jesus.
And He went to the cross to defeat the power of sin and all those humanly things to grant us the ability to live a victorious, righteous life that glorifies God and encourages the Bride.
“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him
(2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV)
we might become the righteousness of God.”
If we are the Bride, the saved, the brethren, then we are also the righteousness of God. This is a truth and a reality that we need to realize and rely on God to perfect in us. If we walk like a saint, talk like a saint…we best be a saint. The opposite is hypocrisy. We walk in integrity through the sanctifying process, being set apart, for the glory of God.
As we walk as the redeemed of the Lord, working out our faith with “fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12), let our works bring glory to His name. Those righteous acts done in His name become part of the clean linen that we will wear for eternity.
Kind Father,
Thank You for Jesus. How can I express to You the gratefulness of my heart to the degree that You have redeemed it. There isn’t enough time in the day if I were to try.
You have delivered me from the torment of my brokenness and an eternity separated from You. There isn’t enough air in my lungs to sing the praises that You deserve. Thank You for continuing to work in me to produce Your righteousness for all the world to see.
Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world. Honor and glory be to Your name. The host of heaven see Your grace and it amazes them. We are Your children and the sheep of Your pasture.
Thank you, Father. We are beyond blessed.
In Jesus Name
