But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us… Titus 3:4, 5

“…This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17

…brothers, you were called to liberty. Only do not use the liberty for an opportunity to fulfill your selfish desires, but by love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

What shall we say to all this? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply and overflow? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Romans 6:1-2

…have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…” Colossians 1:10

Well, that’s quite a menagerie of verses snippets there. But it adequately sums up what has been on my mind this week: Since our righteousness (that is, our right standing with God thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus the Son) was not earned by us but rather paid for by someone else, the least we can do is live a life worthy of this sacrifice. I’m sure you can instantly think of a million verses in the scriptures that speak of this!

Our righteousness was not earned by us. It doesn’t take a whole lot of deep thought to realize that we have done nothing to deserve heaven; we’ve done nothing that would make God say we have some kind of right to be with Him there. On the contrary, I can think of a million things (and I’m sure you can, too, if you are honest) that I have done that prove that I don’t deserve to be in such a glorious place as heaven.

The remarkable thing is that: God solved the problem Himself. He did it, because He knew we were unable to do it. He made sure that the requirement for justice was served by sending His begotten Son to live the sinless life (in perfect obedience to the Father) and offer to die in place of sinners. And then God raised Him from the dead- proof that justice was served (Romans 4:25).

It goes without saying that since we have been redeemed in such a way, we should live grateful lives. We don’t try to attain godly living so we can have “one up” on everyone else. We also don’t sink into a lifestyle of immorality and sin again, to generate “more grace,” as it says in Romans 6. We are grateful for the incredible attention God has given us, for His sacrifice and gift! It goes without saying that we want to please Him who did so much for us!

And you know the really cool thing about it? He makes it really fun! He makes it easy!

Seriously, think about this– is it SO wonderful to feel that weight of guilt over your head every day? Does it make you feel great to destroy people’s lives with your nasty words and lies? To drink liquor or take dope to try to get rid of your problems and puke it all back up again? Is it SO wonderful to hate and slander other people, and to be hated and insulted as well? You see, I don’t drink liquor or avoid drugs because it’s my religion— I don’t do those things because it is not what God would have me to do. He saved me and did so at His own expense! Why on earth would I rub crap in His face after all that?? And it’s not like it’s even hard to NOT be a sinning jerk. I’m so happy! I’m free! Sure, sometimes the pull of sin is SO tempting, and I fall into it, and I get so upset when I fall… but He is even forgiving about those things! He’s really amazing, truly.

So…

You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20.

It’s really the least we could do, isn’t it?

A thousand times I’ve failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I’m caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Chorus 2x
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out