Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
Proverbs 11:4
A follow-up from yesterday’s rambling – what you do doesn’t matter if your identity remains unchanged. And because of Christ’s finished work, you can be sure, and you can know without a shadow of a doubt that your identity is righteous. Before God, Christ has made you righteous, and absolutely in right-standing with Him – so much so that, as the writer the book of Hebrews says, you are able to run to His throne of grace in your time of need.
It’s only through the righteousness that you have and the righteousness that you are in Christ Jesus that you are able to move forth, knowing that what you have and what you know – ALL that you are, your entire being is profitable in the day of wrath. In fact, because you have been delivered from death (through Christ who became sin), it’s only then that what you have, and all that you are is of any value.
The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
Proverbs 11:5
You’ve been rendered blameless through Christ – for as Paul says to the Romans, there is now no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus. See, that’s the other side of the coin – as you are righteous, so you are blameless. Rather, because Christ is righteous, so you are righteous, and because Christ is blameless, so you are blameless. Unless you make extraordinary efforts to convince yourself otherwise, your own efforts of self-righteousness, and your works to be rid of blame are all in vain. In all that frustration, you would definitely find yourself in significant difficulty to stand – how much more could you make, or even keep your way straight?
No, friends, it’s through Christ that we are righteous, and it’s through Christ that we are blameless, and not only is it through Him that we are able to walk, but we are able to keep moving forward in a straight path – indeed, Christ covers it all: For we not only say that Christ keeps us walking straight down the path, but in other Scripture it also says that we are walking down crooked paths that He makes straight. Indeed, we see the Truth behind Christ saying that He is not only the Life to our step, but the Way imposed upon the paths we take.
Isn’t that something. I’ve been saying that Christ is the Living Word who adds life to our words, and He is the Word of Life who adds the Word to our life. But let’s also take that in: Christ is the Life in our step, and Christ is the Way on our paths. That is, He is the value in every step we make, and He is the direction in every path we make.
Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD,
but those of blameless ways are his delight.
Proverbs 11:20
And speaking of blamelessness, let’s take pleasure in the truth that is implied as Christ has made us blameless – That is, just as God delights in Christ, so He was born, He died, He rose again, and He ascended into heaven, all to project that He delights in us as well. Christ took the blame so infused into our identity, so that all that we are, and therefore all that we do is a delight in the eyes of our Creator.
Also, look at our identity in the light of the first statement, to have an idea of what we do not have, or what God does not think of us. Christ has paid such a great price so we are so reconciled, much so that the Lord does not see us as abominations. Christ died and rose again so our old crooked hearts have been taken away – no longer do we have hearts of stone, but hearts of flesh, hearts made obedient by the power of the Holy Spirit poured out upon us.
Friends, Christ is our help, and we are only so bold to say this in the light of all this – the implications of all He has done for us, digging deep into the core of our being, refusing to ‘fix’ us in a shallow way, but taking extreme ownership to eliminate the core problem, that there would be nothing but the Solution of reconciliation left.
In our times of trouble, let us cry out for help, if only to remember the great help that Christ gave us, at the very least. And in our remembrance, may the world behold how we have been set in stone, or rather, brought to stand firm on the Rock, that they would come to know His power and His peace.
Father, thank You for Christ, who has done so much – thank You for Christ, who has done it all for us to enjoy inseparable relationship with You. Thank You, for Your Son paid the ultimate price, if only for us to be in absolute right standing with You, regardless of what victories we witness, or what failures that have come from our own doing. Thank You, Father, that because of Christ, we have been rendered righteous and blameless, and this means we are not only able to stand, but we are able to move forward.
Today, we thank You, because not only are You the Living Word, or the Word of Life, but You are also the Life in our steps, and the Way upon our paths. We praise Your name, and find it profitable to thank You, because You are faithful to make all things work for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. I
I pray and I declare that You would go ahead and bless everyone who would stumble upon this – Father, move, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, that our hearts and minds – our entire beings would come to remembering Your great goodness, confirmed and guaranteed by no less than Your Son, Jesus Christ. In whatever all of us are going through, embrace us in power, and keep us in Your peace.
Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Until the next post, God bless you.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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