You thought I meant blessings, right? 

No.

Blessing.

Singular.

Only one. 

November shifts our attention to gratitude. Thankfulness for all we have and for those closest to us. And that’s good. 

But let’s not stop there. In fact, I want to back up to the One from Whom all blessings flow. 

Jesus.

And not just Jesus, but His righteousness. 

Yes, Jesus gives us right standing with God and all that goes with it, grace, forgiveness, eternal life. More to add to the blessings list. May it never stop growing.

But today, I want to focus on Jesus’s own righteousness. In us. 

Has striving to do right, to be right, been your norm? I’ve been there too. Like a skeleton rising from the grave, I try to resurrect my flesh and make it behave. 

But it’s dead. I must learn to leave it in the ground where it belongs. 

These two verses have helped:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NIV [emphasis mine]

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 [emphasis mine]

Jesus’s righteousness is present. It’s been imputed, credited, to us. We must align with Him. With Holy Spirit. With His righteousness.

If you’ve ever paddled a tandem kayak, you know the trip is smoother when you stroke in sync. When you and your partner get out of rhythm, you both get wet. Paddles bang. The kayak veers left and right. 

Never kayaked? No problem. You walk, right?

Earlier this year, my husband had a business trip. I got to tag along. While he worked, I hiked. My guide Andrea had the steadiest pace I’ve ever seen. Slower than I tend to go, but as steady as a metronome. I quickly synced my pace with his. No need to stop and catch my breath. Just “further up and further in” as C. S. Lewis said.

Now, let’s get real. 

How do we get in sync with Jesus? How do we access His righteousness in us?

1) We must align our thinking with God’s word. Do we believe what He says or are those just words on a page?

2) We must align our words with God’s truth. We have Jesus’s (peace, love, joy, …), because He lives in us. Say it. Out loud.

3) We must align our actions with God’s truth. As we move in faith and in obedience, Jesus meets us there and supplies what we need. 

Is it hard to be patient? Reach for Jesus’s patience. It’s there. 

Forgiveness? Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Let’s release with Jesus’s forgiveness, not our own. It’s there because He’s there. 

Grace? Mercy? Coughing up these virtues on our own can be like a cat with a furball. Or maybe that’s just me. Jesus is the ultimate grace and mercy giver. So, let’s access His. 

We can reflect the same righteousness, the same forgiveness, the same grace and mercy that Jesus has. Because we have it too.

Cultivate gratitude in our homes this season for the multitude of blessings He has given us.

Just remember the blessing, Jesus Himself, the Righteous One and the righteousness He’s given us. 

Thank you, Lord Jesus. 

Questions:

Paul spoke to the ability to be thankful and content whether the blessings were present—or not. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13

Poll the family. How difficult would it be, like Paul, to give thanks if the blessings were removed?

What shakes your ability to give thanks?

Which describes your efforts to walk in righteousness, working or syncing?

If you find yourself striving to do the right thing, how can you change that?

For this month’s Devour the Bible sheets, click here.