by His grace alone

Prov 2:6-8
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.


I am overwhelmed! God is so good to us. He is so gracious.

He gives wisdom to the upright. He saves it up for them! He is a shield to the righteous! He watches over the way of his saints and guards their path!

Oh, and by the way, the upright are not those who actually walk uprightly all the time... They are the ones whom God has forgiven. The ones whose sin has been taken and put on Christ. The ones who caused His death on the cross. The upright are the ones who, by the grace and power of the Spirit of God, have trusted that Christ is sufficient to bear the weight of their sin. So, the ones who caused the death of Christ are now the ones who reap the immeasurable benefits of it. WHAT?!

What goodness and grace to those who have trusted Christ for righteousness! God Himself is a shield!! More than that, He is the one who gives wisdom and ability to walk in integrity. He equips and blesses the equipped. He guards us on the paths of righteousness and justice. He guards the paths of justice because they are HIS paths! He keeps us on those paths, and when we stumble he picks us up, takes our sin, and with that same justice lays our sin on Christ and pours out his wrath on Him - in our place.

He gives wisdom to the upright. He saves it up for them! He is a shield to the righteous! He watches over the way of his saints and guards their path! I am upright, I am righteous, and I am one of the saints because of the grace of Christ ALONE. All praise, glory, and thanks to the Lamb who was slain and who rose victorious over the grave - conquering sin, death, and the power of the grave and making us alive in Him!!!