More Than Forgiveness

I was reading earlier this week, and was reminded that the requirement to get into heaven is more than just forgiveness. Jesus said it this way in the Sermon on the Mount, “For I say to you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 5:20). In Isaiah 64:6, we are reminded that our righteousness is “as filthy rags.” Paul, in Romans 3:10 reminds us that there is “none righteous, no, not one.” This puts us in a real mess. 

Where can such righteousness come from? Jesus provided it for every believer at the cross. Praise the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says the “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God.” Paul tells us in Romans 3:22 that we receive the “righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” All of this comes from being in Christ. It is hard to get my head around the fact that when the Father looks at me, He sees me as righteous as the Son, because I know me. But God has provided everything a believer needs for this life and the next. Praise Him.

Medical Update: 

Here is something else to praise about. Yesterday, I mentioned to a few folks in email that I had a doctor’s appointment this morning at Emory, and to pray that all my numbers were “better than or equal to” what they expected. Well, they were. As a consequence, we are free to roam. We will be in Augusta this weekend, and then back for another appointment and an outpatient procedure to remove the central line. As far as the weekend goes, I do not know if I will be at church or not, since there will be lots of people and I have a “newborn’s” immune system. 

Don’t stop believing and praying. As you know, there is no earthly cure for Multiple Myeloma. Our best hope is to get it into remission and keep it there. On or near day 100 post-transplant (Saturday, June 26 is the actual day) I will return to Emory for some tests that will tell us if the cancer is in remission, and what to expect from there. So keep praying that God’s healing hand work, and it be gone. If not that, pray for it to at least be in long-term remission. 

I cannot say enough how much we appreciate, feel, and see the result of the thousands of prayers that you have prayed. On top of that the cards, calls, visits and emails have been wonderful.