Today is day three of 2026, and day three of mining Philippians 4:8 for all the goodness it has to offer us : )
Today’s word is “just,” which in some translations is translated as “right,” as in “righteous.” I was actually reflecting on Romans 3:26 during Advent last month, and it uses the same word, dikaios, as our Philippians verse.
This verse comes right after Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The overall point being made in Romans 3 is that all humans are less-than-perfect, utterly sinful in fact. Nothing “good” we try to do will ever measure up to God’s ultimate, utter holiness…. but that’s actually GOOD news!
Because we cannot earn our salvation, the pressure to do so have been eliminated. God has already stepped in, paid the penalty of our sin that separated us from Him, and made a way for us to be justified, or declared “not guilty.” This puts us in “right” standing with Him, as we ought to be.
There’s an Old Testament verse I was also reflecting on today from the book of Habakkuk: “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4). This verse was originally about an ancient king, but it is quoted in a few different New Testament passages to show that our righteousness comes from our faith and trust in God rather than prideful self-reliance.
Today, I’m aiming to live in light of the penalty that Christ paid on my behalf, and in awareness of the gift of salvation that He has given me.
Happy January!
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