~~~~INSTINCTIVE GRATITUDE ~~

~~"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand."
---(Romans 5:1-2 / NIV)

--Most of us are painfully aware of the mistakes we’ve made—the opportunities we missed, the things we did or didn’t say, the times when we made a wrong choice. To be justified means we’ve been acquitted of all that—forgiven and declared not guilty. Someone shared a definition with me: To be justified is to be just as if we had gotten it all right. We’re not justified because of anything we’ve done, because we know we didn’t get it all right. But Christ exhausted the curse that I deserved for my godlessness and rebellion in order that I might have the fullness of His blessing for His perfect obedience. I don’t choose godliness, holiness, righteousness, purity, and wholesomeness because I think I’m going to earn my way to Heaven. I choose those things because I want to thank Him and honor Him for the gift of righteousness that He has given to me.

THINK ABOUT IT
Scripture declares that we love God because He first loved us. Our desire to choose and put into practice what pleases Him is how we respond in love and gratitude for His goodness toward us.

PRAYER
~~"Heavenly Father, when I imagine Jesus’ wounds, I am overwhelmed by Your gift to me. I love You wholeheartedly and want to honor You with my life. Thank You, Jesus, for paying my sin’s penalty that I might have Your blessings. In Your name I pray, amen."
Blessings,
Pastor Allen Jackson
~~~~~~~~~