Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful for the pink and white tulips in a vase on the table beside me.

I’m thankful for exquisite farm eggs.

I am thankful for Christ’s righteousness counted as mine, because the older I get, the more I see that all of my acts of obedience are tainted by motives that are less than perfect. Yep, and there’s more: The older I get, the more I see that no matter how old I get, that’s still going to be the case. If I had to produce my own righteous record, I’d be in big trouble. I’d have no hope, none, and by that I mean diddly-squat. But I do have hope—hope because God judges me “in Christ.” Instead of my own big fat zero, God looks at Christ’s perfection and sees it as mine. To which I say, “Thank you, Lord, for the sure hope of imputed righteousness!”

On Thursdays throughout this year, I plan to post a few thoughts of thanksgiving along with Kim at the Upward Call and others.

Round the Sphere Again

An all book edition.

Win a Winslow
It’s a book giveaway at Octavious Winslow. The book is The Fullness of Christ; the deadline is March 23. You’ll find more details and a link to the entry form at the link above.

Resurrection Reads
Justin Taylor has links to the essays included in Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter, a collection of Easter pieces edited by Nancy Guthrie. This looks like the sister volume to the Christmas collection Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus, which I reviewed a year or so ago.

Selections on Suffering
I’ll be reviewing Be Still, My Soul: Embracing God’s Purpose and Provision in Suffering, yet another collection of essays edited by Nancy Guthrie, but in the meantime, you can get a head start with an excerpt from chapter 1, “Suffering: The Servant of Our Joy” (Tim Keller) and chapter 2, “God’s Plan A” (Joni Eareckson Tada). (Gospel Coalition)

Righteous Alone in Him

While cataloguing books for the church library, I found one with daily devotionals written by Frances Ridley Havergal, better known to me as a hymn writer. I’ve decided to work on little biographical sketch of Miss Havergal, which I’ll be posting soon. Meanwhile, here’s the devotional for today from the little book Opened Treasures.

You’ll notice in this posted devotional, and last week’s, too, I’m not cherry-picking the pieces, but simply giving you the one for calendar day. I’m trying to give evidence for a point I want to make and the point is made stronger because I didn’t have to go searching through FRH writings to find bits supporting it.

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Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power … and in much assurance. (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

Do not let us be content with theoretically understanding and correctly holding the doctrine of justification by faith. Turn from the words to the reality, from the theory to the Person, and as a little, glad, wondering child, look at the simple wonderful truth. That the righteousness of God (how magnificent!) is unto all and upon all them that believe; therefore, at this very moment unto and upon you and me, instead of our filthy rags, so that we stand clothed and beautiful in the very sight of God, now; and Jesus can say, “Thou art all fair, my love, now!” That is not any finite righteousness, which might not quite cover the whole — might not be quite enough to satisfy God’s all-searching eye; not a righteousness, but the righteousness of God; and this is no abstract attribute, but a Person, real, living, loving — covering us with His own glorious apparel, representing us before His father Christ Jesus Himself made unto us righteousness! This today, and this forever, for His name shall endure forever.