... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. -- Romans 3:23-24

No matter how hard we try, how good we are, and how much we work, we can never measure up to the only standard that matters --the glory of Almighty God. Thankfully, God doesn't require us to pretend to be what we are not -- perfect, spotless, and holy. Instead, God makes us to be these (cf. Colossians 1:21-23) by grace, through the gift of his Son who purchased our pardon and gave us his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Praise God. Praise our Savior, Christ Jesus. Now let's live with Jesus as our Lord; not to earn or secure our salvation, but to thank him for what he has so freely given us!