God does some name calling

 

It’s paradoxical. It’s twisted. It’s wild to think that the “righteous” often have to suffer at the hands of the “unrighteous.” It feels flat out unfair. But He says it’s going to happen as long as we’re on this planet. Why? It’s what refines and sheds us of us. It’s the gift that prunes and transforms us into holy vessels. Yep. Gift.

It’s the footprints that our Lord laid.

The fair thing would be for me (and you and you and you) to be condemned. That’s what we deserve. I mean, it’s not our world. It’s His. He sets the rules. His character is the standard — the only One worthy of reverencing. Yet we proudly walk around as if we own something or have the final say. We pick the fruit from the one tree He said to leave alone. The fair thing would be condemnation.

But Jesus. The righteous one died for the unrighteous ones. It’s radical. He takes our mess — our selfish, overreacting, hormonal mess — on Himself and puts His righteousness on us so that we can step boldly into the holy of holies. What in the world?!

Then He looks at those who dare to believe His provision and says, “My righteous one.” In spite of us, in light of us, still “righteous.”

We can’t do enough to earn that status. We can’t make enough casseroles or post enough spiritual quotes or wake up at o’dark thirty all month to have a quiet time in efforts to be called righteous. He names us that because of what He already accomplished. Let’s lay down that burden of perfectionism and rest in what He says, “righteous.” He speaks what’s true.

What did you glean from Peter’s words from the Kept study this week?

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