Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

January 31– Morning

 by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“The Lord our Righteousness.” 

—Jeremiah 23:6

 

It will always give a Christian the greatest peace to think of the perfect righteousness of Christ. Some Christians seem to be sad all the time; I don’t think they ought to be. I don’t think they would if they could always see their perfection in Christ. There are some who are always talking about corruption, and the depravity of the heart, and the innate evil of the soul. And this is quite true, of course. But why not go a little further and remember that the Christian is “perfect in Christ Jesus.”

It’s no wonder that those who dwell upon their own corruption should look so depressed. If they would only remember also that “Christ is made unto us righteousness,” they would be a lot happier. Even though distresses afflict me, Satan assaults me, and there may be many things to endure before I get to heaven, all of these things are experienced within the covenant of divine grace. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!”, and, if it is finished, then I am complete in him and can rejoice with unspeakable joy and fullness of glory, “not having my own righteousness from the law but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”

When the believer says, “I live on Christ alone; I rest on him solely for salvation; and I believe that, however unworthy I may be, I am still saved in Jesus,” then this thought begins to arise: “Shouldn’t I live unto Christ? Won’t I love him and serve him, seeing that I am saved by his merits?” The love of Christ constrains us not to live unto ourselves but unto him who died for us. [M&E]