Topic: The Exchange of Righteousness [Joyce Meyer Devotional 26 October 2021]
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He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].— 2 Corinthians 5:21 (AMP)View Previous Devotional OCTOBER 26, 2021
The Exchange of Righteousness
Part of being a Christian is being able to exchange all you have for all Jesus has. You can exchange sin for forgiveness, fear for faith, uncertainty for confidence, lack for abundance, anxiety for peace, sadness for joy, despair for hope, failures for a fresh start, weakness for strength, and you can make all kinds of other wonderful exchanges because you belong to God. According to Romans 8:17, believers are “co-heirs with Christ” of all that God gives to Him (NIV). We can have everything He offers us, under one condition: that we give up everything old in order to have the new things He has for us.
Also Read: Open Heaven 26 October 2021 – Godly Sorrow Leads To Salvation
I like to say that Jesus invites us to an exchanged life. On any given day with Him, we can make the exchanges I have mentioned in this devotion. But we don’t get the new until we release the old.
One of the great exchanges of the Christian life is exchanging our inability to do everything right for the righteousness of God. Isaiah writes that our old righteousness is like filthy rags or a polluted garment (Isaiah 64:6), but Jesus’ righteousness is perfect. Because of His sacrifice, 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that we can exchange our imperfect righteousness for His perfect righteousness.
Have you ever gone through life with a vague sense that something just isn’t right about you? You may not be able to articulate it, but you feel it. If you feel that way, I can relate. Because of the abuse that happened during my childhood, I felt for many years that something was wrong with me, but I could never say with certainty what it was. I just knew that for my father to abuse me the way he did, something had to be wrong with me. Imagine how thrilled I was when I learned that Jesus makes everything about me right before God through my faith in Him!
The impression that something is wrong about you is a lie from the enemy. The truth is that because of God’s lovingkindness, He sees you as right with Him. He accepts you just as you are, holds nothing against you, and helps you become what He wants you to be. You no longer have to carry the burdens of guilt, shame, condemnation, or the feeling that something just isn’t right about you. This doesn’t mean that every old sense of something being wrong will instantly go away. But it does mean that as you study and meditate on this truth, and as it becomes more and more established in your heart, you will become more and more confident in the fact that your relationship with Jesus has made you completely right with God.
Prayer Starter: Thank you, Lord, for exchanging all my junk for Your righteousness and truth In Jesus’ name, amen.