Snow People

In these early days of January, I'm missing the snow of former years.

 

When my son was small, we lived just outside of Libby, Montana, six miles up the mountainside. Our bedroom window overlooked the back portion of our yard, which was framed by tall pines with a background of mountainside. When the full moon rose over the ridge, the yard would light up. You could see grasses, stumps, bushes, the gravel driveways, smaller out buildings, etc.

 

One winter, we had over three feet of snow on the ground, almost covering our back fence. On a clear evening, when the full moon rose, stumps, bushes, even out buildings seemed to have vanished under a glistening cloak of snow, reflecting back the brilliance of the bright moonshine.

 

I do love winter snow. And, although I'm not obsessive about it, I have quite a few snowman items. I even have a little snowman Christmas ornament that hangs on my office wall—I couldn't pack it away and get it out just once a year. The tiny metal snowman holds up a sign that reads, “Isaiah 1:18”—which in the NKJV reads, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” (NKJ)

 

When we turn to Jesus, all our scarlet sins vanish and we become glistening and brilliant reflections of His light. We become His "snow people." That is because, as Romans 5:17b tells us, in Jesus God gave us the Christmas gift—His righteousness. When Jesus was born in that Bethlehem stable, His purpose through His life and death was to make it possible to cloak us with His righteousness.

 

Righteousness is the quality of being right or just. Righteousness, in Daniel’s words (9:14), belongs to God. God is righteous. God never makes a mistake, never does anything wrong, never misjudges—He is always right in all He does—ALWAYS!

 

Psalm 119: 137-138 tells us He is upright in all His judgments and all expressions of His will, that His testimonies are commanded and appointed in righteousness.

 

Psalm 119:142 says His righteousness is everlasting—it never fails.

 

Revelation 16:5, 7 and 19:2 tell us that He is righteous in everything He does even in His judgment and punishment.

 

In Jesus, the righteous Judge took off His robes, stepped down from His bench to wrap His arms around us with love. Not only that, He, the righteous One, took our guilt and its consequences and bore our sins in His own body on the cross that we…might live for righteousness. (1 Peter 2:24a) “…that (we) may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”  Isaiah 61:3b (NKJ)

 

Through the righteous life of Jesus and His obedience to death, God’s righteousness is satisfied providing us with peace with God. "Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed.” (Psalm 85:10 NKJ) It is as Isaiah wrote (32:17 NKJ), “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.”

 

His work of righteousness is what makes His followers snow people!

 

Our Lord, Your snow people praise You, our righteous Lord and Savior!