Mon., 10/24/16 Devotion (Dan. 9:18b)

Today's encouragement comes from Daniel 9:18b, where Daniel prays these words:

" . . . For we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies."

If we had to approach God, and present our petitions to Him based on our righteous deeds, we would never arrive at our destination, ever. Besides that, we would have no basis for our prayers, because we do not *have* any sav-ingly righteous deeds. In other words, we have to be in a state of absolute moral and spiritual perfection to be heard by God.

This is why we may only come to God on the basis of Christ's righteousness alone, which is imputed to the saints in the true church, by sovereign grace. This is the ground on which we may and do rightly approach God. He will hear the prayers of those who come to Him through Jesus’ perfect atonement for sin. He disregards all other petitions and petitioners.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Hell did not know what it did when it crucified Christ; death, with all its armies, was put to death with Him.” —Richard Al-leine, in, "Heaven Opened"]