Today’s Thought: I have nothing in myself that I can call righteous, but because of Jesus Christ I will be presented to God as righteous, clean, and without sin.

Today’s Prayer: Holy and Righteous God, I’m so aware that my efforts to be good and do good are pitiful and inadequate. Sometimes I do get things right, but even then, I’m not earning anything. Even when I follow all the rules, I’ll never be good enough to deserve your gift of eternal life. Jesus stepped into our fallen, human world to show me what true righteousness looks like, and to share His righteousness with me. It is because of His righteousness that I have hope for a life with you in this world and in the next. Let the enormity of that gift resonate in my soul today. Give me a fresh vision of the ultimate purpose of the Baby who was laid in that manger—to reconcile me, an imperfect person, to You, the perfect Creator of all things. Amen.