“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” — Romans 3:22 (NLT)
Jesus once told a story about two men who went to the temple to pray—one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood tall, listing all his spiritual achievements. The tax collector stood at a distance, beat his chest, and prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus shocked the religious crowd when He said it was the tax collector who went home justified (Luke 18:13–14).
That parable isn’t just a contrast in prayer styles—it’s a revelation of how righteousness is received. Paul picks up the same theme in Romans 3 and says it plainly: righteousness is not earned by works—it’s received by faith. Not someday. Not when you’ve finally measured up. But right now, the moment you believe.
This righteousness is not watered-down mercy. It’s not God turning a blind eye to your failures. It’s God giving you His very own righteousness—perfect, pure, and permanent—based on what Jesus did, not what you’ve done. You are declared right with God by believing in the One who made you right.
But here’s the challenge: our flesh still wants to prove something. It feels “holier” to work harder, punish ourselves, or try to earn God’s approval. But that’s not faith. That’s pride dressed in religious clothing. You can’t earn what God has already given. You can only receive it.
Faith makes you right before you do right.
So stop striving, and start believing. You are not trying to become righteous—you already are in Christ. The Word tells us to “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Why? Because it’s not always obvious. You won’t always feel righteous. But choosing to believe you are—because God’s Word says you are—will change how you think, how you pray, and how you live.
To consider means to think about it over and over—until it becomes your dominant thought. Wake up with it. Meditate on it at night. Speak it over yourself throughout the day: “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” As that truth sinks in, your identity shifts. You stop seeing yourself as a sinner trying to do better, and start living as a righteous son or daughter of God. That change at the heart level transforms everything else—because life flows from the heart.
Excerpt from Follow Me As I Follow Christ by Kevin Casey. Click Here: Available on Amazon (Kindle & paperback).
Jesus once told a story about two men who went to the temple to pray—one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood tall, listing all his spiritual achievements. The tax collector stood at a distance, beat his chest, and prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus shocked the religious crowd when He said it was the tax collector who went home justified (Luke 18:13–14).
That parable isn’t just a contrast in prayer styles—it’s a revelation of how righteousness is received. Paul picks up the same theme in Romans 3 and says it plainly: righteousness is not earned by works—it’s received by faith. Not someday. Not when you’ve finally measured up. But right now, the moment you believe.
This righteousness is not watered-down mercy. It’s not God turning a blind eye to your failures. It’s God giving you His very own righteousness—perfect, pure, and permanent—based on what Jesus did, not what you’ve done. You are declared right with God by believing in the One who made you right.
But here’s the challenge: our flesh still wants to prove something. It feels “holier” to work harder, punish ourselves, or try to earn God’s approval. But that’s not faith. That’s pride dressed in religious clothing. You can’t earn what God has already given. You can only receive it.
Faith makes you right before you do right.
So stop striving, and start believing. You are not trying to become righteous—you already are in Christ. The Word tells us to “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Why? Because it’s not always obvious. You won’t always feel righteous. But choosing to believe you are—because God’s Word says you are—will change how you think, how you pray, and how you live.
To consider means to think about it over and over—until it becomes your dominant thought. Wake up with it. Meditate on it at night. Speak it over yourself throughout the day: “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” As that truth sinks in, your identity shifts. You stop seeing yourself as a sinner trying to do better, and start living as a righteous son or daughter of God. That change at the heart level transforms everything else—because life flows from the heart.
Excerpt from Follow Me As I Follow Christ by Kevin Casey. Click Here: Available on Amazon (Kindle & paperback).
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2026
January
Day 1: Knowing Jesus is Eternal LifeDay 2: That I May Know HimDay 3: The Supremacy of ChristDay 4: Christ the FoundationDay 5: Forgiven CompletelyDay 6: Forgive as You’ve Been ForgivenDay 7: A New CreationDay 8: Righteous by FaithDay 9: Adopted and ChosenDay 10: Accepted in the BelovedDay 11: Seated with ChristDay 12: God’s WorkmanshipDay 13: Nothing Can Separate YouDay 14: Christ in You, the Hope of GloryDay 15: The Mind of ChristDay 16: The Image of God RestoredDay 17: Grace That TeachesDay 18: The Measure of FaithDay 19: Faith Works by LoveDay 20: The Faith of the Son of GodDay 21: The Crucified LifeDay 22: Renew Your MindDay 23: Take Every Thought CaptiveDay 24: Think on These ThingsDay 25: Be Spiritually Minded