S) "6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.'"
Isaiah 64:6 (NASB)
O) This is such a sobering reminder that our best, on our own, is so far below God's standard. Without Jesus, my very best is simply not good enough. God is holy, pure, and righteous; God cannot abide even a single transgression because He is completely just. So, in His presence, my best is like a filthy garment by contrast and, according to His justice, which is infallable, I am found immediately guilty. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and so my actions would immediately convict me and I'd be carried away to my own deserved end. Thank God for mercy and grace!
A) I think this verse is best "applied" by simply remembering it. It puts a lot of things in perspective to think about how hopeless I was before His grace amazing. Before I turned my life over to Him, I was completely doomed. For a large part of my life I didn't even know I was headed for such disaster in the end. My best fell completely short, but He knew I was never gonna make it on my own. So, Jesus took my place and now I'm clothed in Christ (Galations 3:27).
P) Father, You are so good to me. My best was never good enough and You knew it all along. Before I was even born, You knew how dirty my clothes would get. You knew I had no chance to succeed in living a life pleasing to You. So, in Your justice, Jesus took my punishment and I found mercy. And now, through Your Son, I have found new threads. I'm clothed in the righteousness You gave me. I will strive to keep clean, but I thank You for mercies which are new each morning, as the Bible says. Help me to walk upright, but if I stumble, to immediately get up and let Your mercy clothe me new. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
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