A Legacy of Faith
As I stood by the graveside, watching my father’s casket being lowered into the ground, my heart felt heavy with grief. The pain of losing him was overwhelming, but I took comfort in knowing that he had kept his faith until the very end.
A Good Man, Yet Imperfect
My father was a good man who had always put his family first. However, like all of us, he was not perfect. He realized that his hope for eternal life could not be based on his own righteousness, but on the righteousness of another. As Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:16-17).
The Illusion of Self-Righteousness
Many of us believe that our good deeds will outweigh our bad ones, and that God will let us into heaven because we tried our best. But the truth is, God requires perfection, and none of us can achieve that on our own. As the apostle Paul wrote, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8-11).
The Gift of Righteousness
That’s why God sent Jesus, who had no sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the only way we can be declared righteous in God’s eyes. Our hope for heaven is impossible without Jesus’ substitutionary work on the cross.
A Lasting Legacy
As I reflect on my father’s life, I am reminded that our time on this earth is limited. Soon, we will all be saying goodbye to loved ones. But may we be found in another man’s righteousness on that day. May we have the same faith and trust in Jesus that my father had.
A Prayer of Gratitude
Thank you, Lord, for having compassion on us by taking our sins upon yourself on the cross. May we always remember that our hope for heaven is based on your righteousness, not our own. Amen.
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