GOD’S WORD FOR MARCH 17

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We are reading from a daily devotional called “Running To Win” written by Erwin Lutzer and the late, great D.L. Moody. Erwin Lutzer is a light in our day as D.L. Moody was in his. Besides his many ministries, and many books, Pastor Lutzer was Senior Pastor at Moody Church in Chicago for 36 years and now serves as Pastor Emeritus there. He is Chancelor and a former professor at Moody Bible Institute, where he taught Theology and Ministry, and now has numerous radio teachings.

OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS FILTHY RAGS

Luke 7:41-42

“A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both.”

D.L. MOODY

Very few people think they are lost. You seldom meet a bankrupt sinner. Most of them think they can pay about seventy-five cents on the dollar; some ninety-nine percent – they just come short a little, and they think the Almighty will make it up somehow.

Don’t let Satan make you think you are so good that you don’t need the grace of God. We are a bad lot, all of us, with nothing to pay.

ERWIN LUTZER

At an evangelical conference, a man interviewed several participants. His question: “Is it necessary to be perfect to enter into heaven?” This interviewer couldn’t find anybody who would say yes! That’s astounding! These Christians, who should have known better, said, in effect, “Well, no, of course not.”

Here is God who is holy and without stain, and He’s going to let imperfect people into heaven? It’s unthinkable! It shows you the extent of our theological ignorance. If you are not as holy as God, don’t even think about being admitted into heaven on your own record. Don’t even let the thought cross your mind —- and of course, no one is even nearly as close to Him.

Our problem is so massive that there is nothing we can do to solve it. But in Christ, God solved the problem for us! We give to Christ our sin and he gives to us what we do not have, namely, God’s righteousness. We are declared perfectly holy because of Christ’s gift to us.

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PRAYER

Father, I thank You that I am credited with the righteousness of a perfect Savior. Thank You for Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

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Isaiah 64:6

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”

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Titus 3:5

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”

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Romans 3:23-24

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

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Ephesians 1:7

“In him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

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Romans 5:20

“The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

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John 10:28-29

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”

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Romans 8:38-39

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”