Psalm 68:1-3
“God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered. And those who hate Him shall flee before Him! As smoke is driven away, so shall you drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!
BUT the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!”

Yesterday, Dennis and I attended a get together in our neighborhood to come around a woman whose father died last week. The hostess of this gathering said a prayer before she asked our neighbor to tell us a bit about her dad. The prayer went as follows: “Please receive this man Lord because he was good.” My heart was so sad as I heard what is obviously her belief… that if one is “good” they will be in the presence of God forever.

I silently prayed for my friend and my other neighbors that God would draw them to Christ in faith and repentance and into a knowledge of the truth. As Dennis and I were walking home I said to Dennis, “I am SO glad that I do not have to stand before the Lord one day based on MY goodness!” He responded with the same words. Then I read the above scripture this morning.

It is going to be a sad, sad, day when those who are not clothed in the righteousness of Christ have to stand before God and be judged. They will not be able to stand before him based on their righteousness, their goodness. BUT the righteous, will be able to be jubilant with joy before God and exult because the Christian is standing before Him based on the righteousness of Christ that has been credited to them!!!!!

I am able to be jubilant with joy before God because I have no fear. I have no fear of His judgment because I am in Christ and I am judged by Christ”s righteousness for I have NONE of my own and ALL of Christ's!

My short interaction with my neighbors yesterday and then reading this scripture this morning has done two things for me:

1. I am thankful for the mercies of God upon my life and for calling me to Him, for opening my eyes with faith to believe and repent of my sins. I am thankful that the righteousness that God demands of me was given to me by HIMSELF!

AND

2. A renewed resolve to pray for my neighbors and family and friends who do not know JESUS! I don’t want them to have to flee from GOD and perish before HIM! They will not know the gospel unless they hear the gospel!!! May God give me favor with my neighbors and develop relationships so I may share Christ with them!