Happy Day 365 of 2008!

Tomorrow ends this year. The lovely numerals of 2008 will give way to the more important-looking, almost stern, ones of 2009. I think that considering this, it would be well to part with the old year and enter the new one on a more serious note than I have portrayed most often in my posts on this blog.
I hope to encourage you, dear reader, by reminding you as I so often have to remind myself, that

"as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one...'" (ESV, Romans 3:10)

Why am I bringing this scripture to mind? How on earth will this bring us joy as we begin a new year?
Just wait; I am coming to that. I am bringing this scripture in as a mere beginning; an introduction, as it were, of an even more important message.
If none are righteous, than how can their deeds be righteous? And how can un-righteous deeds be perfect? They can't.
So for me, the perfectionist, the fact that I can't get everything done and everything done correctly, makes me quite discouraged. After all, what hope is there in this?
Hope comes into the picture when Christ does.... And hence the main point of this post:

"He [the Father] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 andthat through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." (ESV, Colossians 1:13 - 23)

We are not righteous or perfect, but Christ is. And Christ will present us "holy and blameless and above reproach" before God.
And as a response to such great love as this, I am full of awe and motivated to do my best that I might "pay Him back" to the very small extent that I am able, in order to show Him my intense gratitude.
And that is how I want to start my new year.