Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the Garments of Salvation, He has covered me with the Robe of Righteousness.

 

The church in Laodicea declared themselves to be rich and in need of nothing. In essence, they were saying that they had everything already and what they may need, they could buy with all their money. This is fine in the natural, but spiritually speaking, God is not pleased. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)

 

While these people may have at one time accepted Christ, they were not living Christ-like lives. As we have stated here so many times, this is the condition of much (if not most) of the Church today. If God was not happy with the Laodiceans, He is not happy with people of the same mindset today.

 

This is addressed many times in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans on this very subject. We find it in the 8th Chapter. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8)

 

Jesus went to the Cross so people can be set free from the penalty of sin and the power of the enemy. He died so we could trade our self-righteousness for His Righteousness. For the past two days, we have been discussing the fact that we can trade all our hurt, pain, sin, shame, disease, grief, and guilt for Abundant Life.

 

We can also trade unrighteousness and self-righteousness for the Righteousness of God! Self-righteousness is pride, arrogance, self-determination, and willpower. This was the condition of the Laodiceans and in His letter, Jesus declared them to be wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3:17)

 

Paul referred to self-righteousness as carnal or being in the flesh. It’s all the same thing because it’s all a lack of faith in Christ and Him Crucified. The simple fact is, without Christ we are nothing. With Christ, we can do all things.

 

Today is the day to make another trade with God and this may be the most important trade we will ever make. As born-again believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to trade our self-righteousness, pride, arrogance, self-determination, and willpower for the Righteousness of God which has been made available to us by the shed Blood of Christ on the Cross of Calvary.

 

There is nothing better than to walk in the Righteousness of God and we can all have this. All we have to do is put down our self-righteousness and take on the Robe of Righteousness. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the Garments of Salvation, He has covered me with the Robe of Righteousness. (Isaiah 61:10)

 

 

Make the trade. It will…..…….turn the tide……..in your life.

 

Thank you Jesus,          Doreen

 

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