Psalm 85: – Verses 11-12 (NIV)
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
Romans Chapter 3: Verses 22-23 (NIV)
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Nicky Gumbel teaches that all of scripture, from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation, points to the redemptive work of Christ. These verses in both the Old, and New Testament readings this morning spoke to me of this.
The Psalmist tells us that righteousness comes from heaven. We have no righteousness in ourselves, and Paul backs that up in his letter to the Roman church, by confirming that the only righteousness we have comes through faith in Jesus. When we put our faith in Jesus into practice, it also means that we can be faithful to God. Faithfulness is something that we can choose to exercise. We make the decision to do what God asks, and what we know to be right, or we choose to go our own way. I love the fact that the writings of these books of the bible were written hundreds of years apart, yet they still speak the truth and teach us the basis of our faith. It just proves indeed that God’s Word is indeed living and active, and can teach and encourage me every day, as well as reinforcing the truth.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for the clarity and encouragement that comes from Your Word. Help me always to be open and faithful to its teaching. And thank You Jesus for covering me with Your righteousness. Amen.