Justified

Have you ever felt ashamed? Were you so guilty that you just couldn’t face anyone?The thought creeps into your mind that no one could love you, if they knew how messed up you are deep down inside. You believe that you are trash, worth nothing more than throwing away. Then you think about God. You feel like you are so unworthy that God could never care about you. The weight of your past is holding you down. There is good news to help with all of that.

God knows everything you have ever done wrong, or ever will do wrong. He knows all your quirks, and failings. He sees you how you really are. But God doesn’t run away. He doesn’t even look away. He looks deep into your eyes, gazing into your broken soul, and He feels love. God’s attitude towards you is the opposite of anything you have ever expected. He sees all your sin and brokenness, and it drives Him into a ferocious act of love. God loves you so much that He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, fully God and Fully man, to die for you.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:6-8‬ ‭NASB‬‬
At your worst God loves you the most. Jesus died and rose again for you. He payed for all your sin, and failure. He took it as far away as the east is from the west. Jesus removed all the negative things that you feel guilty over. All the past mistakes that you are ashamed of, God Himself remembers no more. Not only did Jesus remove all your bad, He gives you all His good.

Jesus never sinned. Jesus never made a mistake. Jesus never even had a bad thought. He always did the right thing. He perfectly kept God’s law, so that He is perfect before the Father. When you stop believing your own bad news, and start believing God’s good news, you receive this righteousness. When you change your mindset( repentance) and trust in Jesus, and what He has done for you(faith), you are credited with all the righteousness of Jesus. By faith you trade your sin and baggage, for the perfection of Jesus. This is called being justified. If you try to justify yourself, that is a dead work. You don’t have the power or tools to be right with God by your efforts, but by faith, God makes you His perfect, holy, child.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:1-2‬ ‭NASB‬‬

This is what justification means; that God Himself declares you ,not only not guilty, but perfectly righteous. If the Creator of the universe, who upholds all things by the Word of His power, and in Whom all things consist, calls you righteous, you most definitely are. Don’t trust your feelings. Trust God’s declaration. Jesus did all the work. Just rest in it by faith.
You are no failure. You are not trash. You are loved. You are special. You are God’s masterpiece. You are justified.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8-10‬ ‭NASB‬‬
Live like you believe all this. Live like you know the truth that sets you free. Live justified.

If you don’t know Jesus, I want to give you the opportunity to trust Him for your salvation and receive His finished work by faith. If you want to make Jesus the Lord of your life, simply pray this in your heart, as a way to put your faith in Him. Say, “ Jesus, I make you the Lord of my life. I know I’m a sinner, but I believe. I believe that You are the Son of God. I believe You died on the cross for my sins, and I believe that You rose on the third day for my justification. I ask you to save me now. I receive you by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen”