Righteous and blameless

When the LORD saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved…

Noah, however, found favor with the LORD…Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:5-6, 8-9)

We live in a world much like Noah’s, with wickedness widespread, and the inclination of the mind seemingly evil all the time. And our Lord grieves.

But as I was reflecting on these verses, I put in my name in place of Noah’s.

“Bruce, however, found favor with the Lord. Bruce was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Bruce walked with God.”

Honestly, when I look at my life, and all my sins and failings, it’s hard to see God looking at me with favor and calling me a righteous man, blameless among my contemporaries.

But God reminded me this morning that I am righteous and blameless, not because I am perfect, but simply because I walk with him, trusting him, following him, honoring him as my Creator and Lord, believing that he is good.

And though I may not be perfect, because Jesus died on the cross, washing away my sins and clothing me with his righteousness, God can call me righteous and blameless in his sight. (Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:22)

That’s a pretty incredible thing to ponder.