Psalm 13:1-6

I am always glad to see the weekend here at last. And this is the week of our State Fair which makes it even more fun. We always enjoy such events, though mostly just for the different craft stores and fair corn dogs. Anyway, it is fall now and almost October so its good to get out before it gets to cold to enjoy being out. I hope you have a good weekend my friend.

David
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Psalm 13:1-6

    O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
    How long will you look the other way?
    How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
    with sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
    Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
    Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die.
    Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
    Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
    But I trust in your unfailing love.
    I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
    I will sing to the LORD
    because he has been so good to me.

I read Psalms like this one and something just clicks inside of me. I have felt like that before. There is this great battle inside raging for my life and my heart. Like the Apostle Paul said, we often do the things we do not want to do while forgetting to do the things we know we should. Mankind has its greatest battle within itself. We all face this same issue and growing rather weary from it. All we feel as the torment of our tired souls and like the enemies are mocking us over and over again.

We should think of life as if we are running an important race. You keep running but you are growing more and more tired as you go. You feel as though your heart is going to jump out of your chest and if you fail everyone will just laugh at your failed attempts. You try so hard at something and it begins to feel as though God is not even really there with you. But as you grow throughout life you will find looking back that the Lord is the one who helped you past each hurdle when you always felt like giving up and quitting. 

This Psalmist felt defeated, as many of us do. But the striking thing is the last part of the Psalm. He reminds us of God’s unfailing love. He tells us to rejoice in the Lord because He has been good. In other words it is telling us to remember that fact. It is no theory. God has indeed been good to us. Even when it feels like our times are struggling hard. We cannot even imagine anything we can do. It is in our times when we feel defeated that we can trust in His unfailing love to be good to us. He always has and always will be there for us.

Psalm 12:1-8

God is teaching me a lot these days on prayer and just spending time talking to Him. All He wants is for our hearts to be with Him in conversation so that we not only speak but listen to what he wants to do in our day. I trust He will guard over you and lead you through your week friend.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be,
  For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. 
They speak falsehood to one another;
  With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. 
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
  The tongue that speaks great things; 
Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail;
  Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?" 
“Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
  Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he longs." 
The words of the LORD are pure words;
  As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. 
You, O LORD, will keep them;
  You will preserve him from this generation forever. 
The wicked strut about on every side
  When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Psalm 12:1-8

Think to yourself for a moment; what is the most painful of all sins? Immediately you start quite a list in your head of some of the worst things imaginable, but there is one that really tops them all. Gossip or a tongue that is quick to spread lies is the most devastating sin that comes to my mind. Not one of us has gone without being hurt by this sin, and if we are honest we have not gone without committing it either. 

Double hearted people are spoken against throughout the Word of God, because they cause so much destruction in their ways. We use our mouths as weapons of gossip rather than of peace we hurt ourselves and everyone else around us. We can begin to understand why the Psalmist wonders if there is anyone who is faithful anymore. This heart cry is in the midst of such trial among deceivers. 

Even when we think we mean well, we can be using gossip and foolish talk. Some things are usually best left unsaid and unspoken, except to the Lord in prayer or with concern with a spouse. Its so easy to lose the reality that words can really damage reputations and lives to the point where repair is almost impossible. Guarding the tongue is crucial to walking a good and upright life with the Lord. If you must speak, speak first to Him and even more so that the truth will be the only remaining thing that comes from your lips.

My birthday went well, i enjoyed spending the time with family and eating my cookie cake. Avery got me a little book called "Cookie Monster and the cookie tree." Its a classic. Holly got me a hammock which is a great way to pass the time. There were other presents as well, but the most important thing was having my beautiful wife and daugther to celebrate with. So now i am 26! Not that much different really.

Avery is working at walking a lot more these days, though crawling is still so much easier. She dances a little to music, especially Hannah Montana. She is her biggest fan, or smallest. Its so cute. Her teeth are still coming in slow, she has three on top and three on bottom. Her left bottom and her top right are in along with her middle ones.

The holiday season is back in swing and we are looking forward to getting out the decorations once more. I love this time of year. Avery is going to be something cute for Halloween, which will be revealed later. Then we have Thanksgiving and of course Christmas. Before any of that though is her birthday which is coming up pretty fast! Hard to believe we just about have a One year old crawling around making noise. She is so cute!

Psalm 11:1-7

Talk to the Lord throughout your day. Spend time in conversation with Him just as you would any close friend. That is what prayer is after all, its simply spending time with Him. How amazing it is we have such an open door to Him at all times. It seems like the darker this world gets, the more we need Him. 

David

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Psalm 11:1-7

    In the LORD I take refuge;
    How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;
    For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,
    They make ready their arrow upon the string
    To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
    If the foundations are destroyed,
    What can the righteous do?”
    The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven;
    His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
    The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,
    And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
    Upon the wicked He will rain snares;
    Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
    For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness;
    The upright will behold His face.

When all of the world’s wickedness seems to be crowding around us, we can take refuge in the Lord our God. He is our refuge in times of trouble, and in times when we doubt. We will always find ourselves in need of Him, and it is good to know He is always there for us, even before we call. 

Psalm 11 speaks of the righteous and the wicked. Our righteousness comes through Christ alone, and the Lord looks at us through the blood of our Savior. The wicked do not know such mercy though, for they shed innocent blood and do things all in the name of their own pleasure. We however are no longer in the darkness and have changed out of wickedness into holiness. When Jesus rose He gave us a new life, a new heart. We are righteous by His blood and by His work alone. 

Righteousness through faith alone is one of the most important points we will ever hear, one which the Apostle Paul hammers away at plenty of time in His letters. God loves righteousness and when He looks at Christians, that is what He sees. God does not waste time with our sin, but does bring our heart to light so we know where He wants to work. He is always at work to make us like Himself. The Lord is your refuge in times of trouble, from the world and from ourselves.

Psalm 10:1-18

Psalm 10:1-18 (NLT)

    O LORD, why do you stand so far away?
    Why do you hide when I need you the most?
    Proud and wicked people viciously oppress the poor.
    Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.
    For they brag about their evil desires;
    they praise the greedy and curse the LORD.
    These wicked people are too proud to seek God.
    They seem to think that God is dead.
    Yet they succeed in everything they do.
    They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
    They pour scorn on all their enemies.
    They say to themselves, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
    We will be free of trouble forever!”
    Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.
    Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.
    They lurk in dark alleys,
    murdering the innocent who pass by.
    They are always searching
    for some helpless victim.
    Like lions they crouch silently,
    waiting to pounce on the helpless.
    Like hunters they capture their victims
    and drag them away in nets.
    The helpless are overwhelmed and collapse;
    they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.
    The wicked say to themselves, “God isn’t watching!
    He will never notice!”
    Arise, O LORD!
    Punish the wicked, O God!
    Do not forget the helpless!
    Why do the wicked get away with cursing God?
    How can they think, “God will never call us to account”?
    But you do see the trouble and grief they cause.
    You take note of it and punish them.
    The helpless put their trust in you.
    You are the defender of orphans.
    Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
    Go after them until the last one is destroyed!
    The LORD is king forever and ever!
    Let those who worship other gods be swept from the land.
    LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.
    Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.
    You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
    so people can no longer terrify them.

In our own hearts we have echoed the words, “Lord where are you?” That feeling of being so far away from hope when everything else is pounding us down, is very real. When the wicked seem to be doing so well and gaining so much, we ask ourselves why. Where is God in times of trouble? Why does it feel like the wicked are ruling? What is the answer? This Psalm speaks to those questions with heart and emotion, not religious phrases. It comes to us and meets us where are at, in open humility before God.

The downfall of the wicked, is being blind to the Lord’s presence. Closing your eyes does not make everything alright. We cannot lose sight of this even in our own weak moments, for without the Holy Spirit, we are the wicked. Only by God’s grace we have been saved from ourselves. But have you ever thought you could hide something from God. Maybe He wont notice, or maybe He will think it wasn’t us. I suppose trying to hide from God is like a fish trying to hide from a cat in a glass bowl. There really is no way to get away from this God who is everywhere always. Sadly it does not always feel as though God is really paying attention. 

There are many scholars would could probably lay down reason after reason for why God is the way He is and why it feels like He does not always care. But I have to throw my simple answer in there. God is God because He is and if he was not God then we have no reason to serve and love Him. Afterall, a God defined by human reason is a god created by human thought rather then a God who creates human brains!

In the end of this Psalm we receive our hope. It does not say “maybe you will come to our aid!” It does not say “God might do it” Rather it is a sure feeling that He will listen to us and bring justice. He is King forever and ever. I suppose there is no easy answer to the hard times. The hardest answer in the world is to say just trust Him! Even if we do not like the answer He gives us here, it is still what we are to do. We do it because He loves us. Because He knows us intensely more intimate than anyone ever could. Remember that God is there with you.

Psalm 9:13-20

I had a good 26th birthday, of course the best part is seeing a card that says 'to daddy'. There couldn’t be anything more wonderful. Such a gift from the Father! I hope you had a good day today as well my friend.
Blessings

David

--------------------------------------------------
  Be gracious to me, O LORD;
        See my affliction from those who hate me,
        You who lift me up from the gates of death, 
    That I may tell of all Your praises,
        That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
        I may rejoice in Your salvation. 
    The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
        In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught. 
    The LORD has made Himself known;
        He has executed judgment.
        In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah. 
    The wicked will return to Sheol,
        Even all the nations who forget God. 
    For the needy will not always be forgotten,
        Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever. 
    Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail;
        Let the nations be judged before You. 
    Put them in fear, O LORD;
        Let the nations know that they are but men. Selah.
Psalm 9:13-20

I drove home today in what seemed to be the aftermath of a storm, though I don’t remember it raining. Everyday year on my birthday I wait to see what the Lord will do, because He always shows up, especially on those days when we celebrate life. As I rounded the turn on the highway, while listening to a Christian song singing about the mercy and love of God, right in front of me was a bright rainbow in the cloud. The sun was just low enough to cast its light toward the dark clouds to bring out the most beautiful display. 

This sight not only was just another way for God to remind me of His presence, it also made me think about this world, and Psalm nine as it reflects on mankind’s position compared to God Almighty. God brought judgment on the nations of the world with a flood but gave the rainbow as a sign of hope to man that in Him alone there is safety. In a world that is centered around the wants of the individual, we forget who we are and who we are meant to be. 

Man is nothing without God, for He gave us the breath of life that makes us who we are. Our creativity, our explorative nature, our personality come from Him. He made us to live and worship Him, and love Him. In the midst of all the things going on in life, he reminds us through the simple and beautiful things that He made us and wants to give us life, in abundance.

Its an amazing realization of your love for someone when they are away for any period of time. Of course so many of my memories of before marriage are me and Holly being states away from each other, so a weekend is nothing new. But still when you get so used to having someone around the house and to hang out with, it is different. I love my wife so much and its hard to even go that long without her. I am so thankful to have her in my life. The Lord is good.

I missed little Avery as well, but that is nothing new. I miss her when i go to work too. Mommy and me cant wait to get home to our little one. I need to remember that she is almost a year old now. The day after tommrow is her 11th month birthday! What a year it has been. We have learned so much about being parents, and so much that we still need to learn. But that is what it is about.

Tonight i headed over to Aunt Vicki's house for some cake to celebrate Aunt Terri's birthday. Avery was in the center of the room walking on her own clear across. Now she still needs to hold on to things, but this was the first time she really went for a clean walk through. Its awesome, soon she will be doing all walking and no crawling. She loves to crawl though. She doesnt like to be in the room without us though so its hard to get around to do things.

Tommrow i turn 26 and that is hard to believe too. I always look forward to my birthday, just to remember how wonderful life is and how the Lord has blessed us with such great gifts.

Psalm 9:8-12

Avery turns 11 months old the day after tomorrow. That is hard to believe. She is still working on walking around when she feels like showing off. But she crawls when she needs to. I love having my wife and baby girl home, it was lonely around here without them. 
Be blessed by the Word my friend. And keep praying. 

-----------------------------------------------------
And He will judge the world in righteousness;
        He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. 
The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,
        A stronghold in times of trouble; 
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,
        For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 
Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion;
        declare among the peoples His deeds. 
For He who requires blood remembers them;
        He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Psalm 9:8-12

Sometimes I stumble over my God when it comes to His nature as both a judge and redeemer. The same Holy Lord that must judge my sin, also did the ultimate and paid for my salvation. I expect that while looking over my life, there are more than enough things that make me guilty before such a God. Yet, it is Him and His love that covers me.

My world teaches that I should have a place for myself to stand, because the only way to be safe is to keep my eyes on my own position. That is about as dangerous as running through a mine field with a blindfold. I know better, and my trust must never be on my own ability. 

How great a God we serve, that is both a judge over wickedness and a redeemer of all mankind. He requires blood sacrifice and then becomes the first and the last to die for sin. Once and for all, paid for in completion, in that truth we trust. His Word is hope and life for eternity.

Psalm 9:1-7

My lovely daughter and wife returned from their trip and I was very excited to see them home. Its strange having the house empty, I am glad that it is not that way all the time. Thank the Lord for all He has done and is doing.

David

------------------------------------------------------------------
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
    I will tell of all Your wonders.
I will be glad and exult in You;
    I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
    They stumble and perish before You.
For You have maintained my just cause;
    You have sat on the throne judging righteously.
You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
    You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
    And You have uprooted the cities;
    The very memory of them has perished.
But the LORD abides forever;
    He has established His throne for judgment,
Psalm 9:1-7

You and I are the greatest works of the Lord. Have you thought about it like that before? The creator of the universe, every atom and cell, every animal and plant, not only created us, but saved us from our own sin. The wonders of the Lord are those He does in our own lives, the bondage He breaks through, and the freedom He gives to His children.

Psalm nine speaks of the judgment of God upon the wicked of the earth, but also upon the sins we all have known. Not one of us are without sin, for we all were broken empty vessels before the Lord came to us. The world is full of people just the same as us who are dead in their sins and need salvation. Our Lord wants all people to experience transformation in their lives.

Our Lord will destroy all wickedness and blot out the memory of such places that do horrible things. Just look at the cities in the Bible that Jesus cursed; they are just stone fragments now. He also put to death all of our sins and has given us a new life. The wonder of the Lord is our salvation; that is the message we need to take to the people who are still in their sins. Take the message of hope and life.

Psalm 8:3-9

Good morning my friend. I look forward to my wife returning home today along with my little girl. Of course that won’t be until tonight so until then I will just get on with work as is. Pray for safe travel. Pray also for this country and for this day, as it brings a lot of painful memories for what was lost in 2001. Your prayers are important in this time.

David

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
        The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
        And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
        And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 
        
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
        You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen—
        Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
        And the fish of the sea 
        That pass through the paths of the seas. 
O LORD, our Lord,
        How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:3-9

How often do we consider the heavens and the work of our Lord’s hands? Look around at all the wonders of the earth, the great mountains and oceans tell of His power. Explore the deepest depths, and the farthest stars, and all you can do is be amazed. We can do all of this and realize all of this was carefully designed. But what are we compared to all of this?

In the beginning the Lord created all things and placed man in power over all the things of the earth. But man fell into sin and has become the lowest of all creatures. But the Lord Himself came down to be one of us, to share our lives and then to die on the cross for our sin. Do you think he did that because of how great we are? Did he save us based on our own merit? Of course not, He died for us because of His love. 

Look up at the sky and the whole earth and wonder in what the Lord has made. Then realize out of all of this, He has his eyes on you every moment and cares for everything you do. What an amazing God of love.

Psalm 8:2

It’s quiet around here without my girls! Lonely too for that matter. I miss them so much. At least I know they are having fun at Disney world today, along with Holly's mom. It’s great that they could go and get some time together. As for me, the house is spotless, except I still need to work on the bathroom. And it’s been raining too much to do yard work, so perhaps it will dry out today. Anyway hope all is well with you my friend.

David
-----------------------------------------------------------
From the lips of children and infants
      you have ordained praise
      because of your enemies,
      to silence the foe and the avenger.
Psalm 8:2

What would we consider an enemy of God and of our lives in this age? Certainly there are a lot of cultural foes out there that are constantly attacking our morals and beliefs. There are people groups which seek to change our freedom and turn it into bondage. Of course there is the supernatural darkness which is going against us every day. Each new generation faces these, but it is the children of our time that have the greatest challenge.

As a parent, every day I am realizing more and more that my task is to teach my child all I can about the Lord and the Word. Even non parents have this obligation because we must leave something for our children that gives them hope and opportunity in the future. A danger in the “me” culture we live in, is that children are cast aside when selfish people only care about their own future.

Our children need to hear about the great things the Lord has done and is doing. He gave us great freedom in this country, our grave yards are full of crosses to remind us of the faith that founded this very nation. Every one of us can leave an inheritance to our children. But more importantly we want to leave them with a heritage. I will teach my own little one to praise the Lord!

Avery, Holly, and Hollys mom Pam are at Disney World today. Hol had some conferences to go to out in Florida, so she took them with her to have a little vacation and fun. I know Pam needed some time away as well and its a good time for the three of them. Of course Avery wont remember to much about the trip, but she will still have a good time and pictures to remember.

I stayed home so i could give them some time to spend together. I also wanted to save my vacation time for Christmas. It is rather quiet and lonely around here without them though, and i have managed to get some reading time in. I actually slept through the night to, which was nice. The house also is spotless except some work on the bathroom and the windexing i need to do.

For now i am headed to church and hopefully the lawn will dry out later so i can get some work done outside. Though i dont mind just kicking back today again and relaxing. I do look forward to Holly and Averys return later this week though, i miss them so much.

Psalm 8:1-2

Please pray for my wife and her mom and Avery this weekend as they fly to Florida for some work and vacation time. Holly has the work part, though they are going to Disney world which will be fun for them. Pray for safe travel. Thank you for your prayers my friend.

David

------------------------------------------
O LORD, our Lord,
        How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
        Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
       
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
        You have ordained strength,
        Because of Your enemies,
        That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

Psalm 8:1-2

What will matter in the end, is not what you accomplished for the King, but what you did with the King. We all have our desires to do great things and be good people. I do not know too many who wake up every day planning to not succeed in one way or another. The Lord gives us goals, dreams, and desires to fulfill His will in our lives. But these all have to be done alongside our Lord.

David writes this Psalm with the babies and infants of the world in mind. I do not believe he was thinking of actual toddlers, but more of those of us who have yet to grow to maturity in Christ. In other words, even the newborn believer can do great things just as a man who walks with God his whole life. God does not matter what your resume looks like, but what your current work looks like. Even more, he wants to be involved.

If we do not involve our Lord in our lives, we miss out on some of the greatest things He wants to give. A lifetime relationship with the Father is more treasured than anything we can ever seek. Through Him we will have the desires of our hearts, because the close we are to Him the more His will becomes our own.

Cheerios on the floor

Today I have a short message and a verse, as always I try to go with my heart for what God wants to say. It has been a busy summer and now it’s the fall. I know it is hard to believe how quickly all the time goes, I love watching our little girl grow. Thank you for sharing these happy times with us and being prayerful for us. Be blessed today

David

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheerios are on the kitchen floor, on the living room floor, and even on the bathroom floor. Clearly we have a toddler who likes to get around, and also enjoys her snack food from time to time. Adorable and wonderful little girl too, those little pieces of food to snack on are her favorite thing to enjoy for all those moments in between her own little adventures.

Our Bible speaks of the Word of God as food several times throughout the prophets and writings. Just like my daughters cheerios it is to be savored in our hearts and enjoyed throughout the day. In so many countries the Word is forbidden and even illegal. People are thrown into prison because of its message. That message is one that so many Churches do not even talk much about. The King is on His way and when He comes He will overthrow evil and reign.

Avery teaches me something new every day, and sometimes it’s easy to let those life lessons be forgotten, just as easy as it is to toss aside a little piece of honey nut grain. But the Lord does not want us to treat His Word like that. He wants us to carry it with us wherever we go, and treasure it in our hearts with our very lives. The message is regarding our Lord and His desire for us to be with Him. The best way to get there is by being with Him in His word.

Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O LORD God of hosts.

Jeremiah 15:16

Its been a busy few weeks around here, which is okay since it was the end of a busy summer for that matter. Between my parents spending the week out here and aiding with some toilet and car repairs, and going to Hollys grandparents for Labor day weekend, it has been fun. I wish i had time to update more for the moment, but there is a limited amount of time for the moment since i am at work. But i will get on here later. Avery has more teeth coming through and is still trying to work on walking, she is so adorable. She did have a temper this morning though, but im pretty sure its because we added plastic guards on her crib railing. She has been chewing away at the wood and even hurt her gums yesterday on the rail. I dont think she was happy about us puting up the plastic. But it is for her own good.

Psalm 7:11-17

September is here! I love the fall with the trees changing color and the air getting cooler. I can't believe how fast the time goes. It reminds me how precious each day needs to be as the Lord gives every new morning to us. Always be ready to see what He wants to do it each moment. Praise His Name.

David

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
God is a just judge,
        and God is angry with the wicked every day.
If he does not turn back,
        He will sharpen His sword;
        He bends His bow and makes it ready.
He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
        He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
       
Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
        Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
He made a pit and dug it out,
        And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
His trouble shall return upon his own head,
        And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.
       
I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness,
        And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 7:11-17

God is a judge against all of the wickedness of man. Sin makes the Lord angry because of what it does in destroying people’s lives. He is Holy and just in everything He does, and the wicked will be punished in the end for their own deeds. The wicked even fall into their own traps, and their own pits are their grave. This is also a good warning for us, because it portrays what sin does to the person. It looks good at first, but in the end it is death.

Finally the Psalm writer finishes off the Psalm with a praise to the Lord according to whose righteousness? God and God alone is to be praised. Too often we come to the Lord feeling good about ourselves or what we have done. At least it’s easy for us to fall into this work mentality that tells us we have to do so much to please Him. Reality though is that when we stand before the Lord, we are only going to be there by His own righteousness. Praise Him!