The NAME OF THE LORD for today.

Growing up, my mom had an almanac featuring the names of God (in Hebrew) and what they mean. One is Jehovah Rapha- "The Lord Who Heals." As believers in Christ, we depend on the Lord for healing. Also Jehovah Jireh- "The Lord will Provide." When we are in need (of children, jobs, money, wisdom, peace of mind, whatever,) we depend on Him for provision. He gives power to create wealth according to Deut. 8:18.

Of all the Names of God that featured on the almanac, one stuck to my brain because for me, it wasn't as famous as the rest: Jehovah Tsidkenu- "The Lord our Righteousness." I never knew how crucial this name is to our salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 says "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

Many of us have no problem with confessing that Jesus is Lord (Jehovah) but is He really Lord of all areas of our lives? We acknowledge and confess Him as "The Lord Who Heals," "Jehovah Nissi," "Jehovah Jireh," "Jehovah Shammah" and so on. We rely on Him to help us when we have shortcomings in these areas, - healing, lack, protection, unrest, etc, as His Names mean for us. We believe and confess His provision that we are yet to see physically. But somehow, we hesitate when it comes to the most crucial one for us today: Jehovah Tsidkenu- The Lord our Righteousness.

When it comes to attaining righteousness, of which we have none ("As it has been written: "There is none righteous, not even one;") instead of depending on Him for Righteousness as we do every other thing, we become shy and try to be righteous on our own by keeping the law and doing good things aka self-righteousness. See Romans 10:10 above: only when we acknowledge and confess Him as THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS do we have salvation; including salvation from acts of sin, sickness, oppression, depression and every earthly ill.

Believer, we are living the reality of Jeremiah's prophecy where the Lord Himself said in Jeremiah 23:6-

"Now this is His name by which He will be called:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Romans 5:19 says "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."

2 Corinthians 5:21 says: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

In Christ, the Lord Himself is our Righteousness. This is the whole essence of the gospel of Christ- justification (righteousness) by faith. We can never be made righteous in God's sight through our works. Isaiah 64:6 calls our own righteousnesses "menstrual rags."

Romans 3:20 says "For no on can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." Yet we still try. Trying to get right with God by human effort is to reject the Lord as one's Righteousness, and the result of this can be seen in Galatians 5:4- "For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."Believers, let's not be found here. 

Do you still have sins and shortcomings that you have been trying to overcome by your own effort, even worry? Stop trying to stop sinning by your own puny arm of flesh that will fail and start believing that the Lord is your Righteousness, much like how a sick person believes that to her, He is Jehovah Rapha. Ask Him to help you believe right. He will help you, FREELY and not because you sowed seed (Romans 8:32.)

When you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, not yours from your good works and law-keeping, all these things, including the ability to go and sin no more, will be added unto you. Remember Isaiah 54:17-

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

And their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the Lord.

This promise is not just for anyone that can attach the name of Jesus to each prayer point. It is an inheritance (heritage) and cannot be obtained by fasting for 100 days. It is for those who call Him "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" and are not trying to be righteous by their puny attempts at keeping the Ten Commandments or doing anything else. Only believe, and even this is by grace.

This is the logic of heaven. According to 1 Cor. 1:18-

"For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God."

The law does not grade on the curve. If you break one law, you are guilty of all says James 2:10. The letter kills. Grace too does not grade based on how sinful you are. In fact, your sins and your helplessness against sin, the curse and death are what make you a candidate for God's grace. No matter how vile and offensive your sins are, believing Him and with Him as your Righteousness, the Lord sees you as righteous through and through, because your righteousness is not your own. It is Christ's. And this is the result of having the Lord as your righteousness: YOU GET TO LIVE IN TRIUMPH OVER SIN- Romans 5:17-

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."