Righteousness

August 22nd – Proverbs 21:21

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Proverbs 21:21

We all want to live long, healthy lives. And so we try to eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. But Solomon tells us the true secret to longevity is pursuing righteousness and loving-kindness. The Hebrew word for pursue is  “radaph”. It means to chase, or follow after closely and with great effort and energy. We live in a society that desperately chases after youth. But what we need to passionately pursue is love. Love for God and each other. There’s a quote which says, “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. And kindness in giving creates love.” We as Christians are to be clothed in righteousness. That means each day to, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom. 13:14) All Jesus did was based in kindness and love. So if we want longer life, spiritual growth, and a good reputation, we would be wise to do the same.

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December 17th – Jeremiah 23:5-6

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Jeremiah 23:5-6

Even though it’s the Christmas season, there is still much division, hurt, and anger in the world. And unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much help coming from our elected leaders. 600 years before the angel Gabriel visited a young Mary, Israel faced that same division, hurt, and anger. But the prophet Jeremiah promised that God would raise up a righteous King. And that King is Jesus Christ. As a descendant from the line of David, Jesus came as the humble Lamb of God. But He will return as the conquering King of Judah. And the Lord will reign in perfect justice and righteousness. The world will dwell securely in His unending peace, and never again will we be afraid or lost. So as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, may we also celebrate the coming reign of “the Lord our righteousness.”

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October 13th – 1 John 3:10

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1 John 3:10

John tells us that there are two kinds of people. Those who truly love and follow God, and those who don’t. And you can tell who is who just by looking at their lives. Because it’s a person’s actions, not their words, that show whether or not they are a member of God’s family. We all sin and fall short daily, but John says a true child of God doesn’t have a life marked by habitual, unrepentant sin. And a true child of God lets love lead him in all he does. Because the greatest command God gives us is to love Him fully and completely, and to love others as ourselves. For it was love that brought Jesus to pay the sin debt we owe. And love that made our redemption possible. So if, as children of God, love isn’t fully on display in our lives for all to see, we have a problem. Because as Christians, we should be both thinking and acting according to the nature of our heavenly Father instead of the nature of the fallen world in which we live.

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October 4th – 2 Corinthians 6:18

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2 Corinthians 6:18

Trying to live with one foot in the flesh and the other in the Spirit is a balancing act doomed to fail. For as Matthew 6:24 tells us, “No one can serve two masters.” God wants both of our feet firmly planted with Him. And to do that means separating ourselves from the evils of the world. God called His children of Israel to live a life separate and distinct. To be holy among the other nations. And for us to be sons and daughters of God, means doing the same. We too are to lead lives separate and distinct. Holy among the wicked of the world. Which means loving the lost, sharing the Gospel with the lost, and being godly examples for the lost. But it doesn’t mean becoming influenced by the lost. Because it doesn’t take much for temptation to get a foothold in our lives. And Satan never passes up an opportunity to tempt us into compromising our faith.

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September 29th – Psalm 85:11

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Psalm 85:11

Psalm 85 is a cry for peace and revival from the people of Israel to God. And despite their rebellion and sin, God answered their prayer. Why? Because God’s grace is greater than our sin. And out of that grace, God, from His lovingkindness and righteousness, restored peace to the land. A peace that our present land so desperately needs. Because of His never ending patience and love, God promises restoration to all who come before Him in true confession and repentance. And if we come to Him in such a manner, His truth will spring from the earth, and His righteousness look down from heaven. In His grace, He will remember our sins no more, and the Lord in His goodness, will provide a bountiful harvest. All to bring us into a right relationship with Him and each other, so that His glory may dwell in our land.

 

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September 24th – Hebrews 12:11

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Hebrews 12:11

As parents one of the hardest things we have to do is discipline our children. But we do it out of love, to guide and train them into mature adults. The same goes for God. He doesn’t like punishing His children any more than we do. But because He cares, the Lord disciplines us to grow into mature Christians with a deep and lasting faith. God loves us too much to just leave us where we’re at. So He “trains” us, exercising our faith muscles so that no matter what we face, we can do so with unshakable spiritual confidence. The writer of Hebrews uses the Greek word, “gegymnasmenois”, which literally means “vigorous exercise.” Athletes train to produce the endurance needed to win. And God allows trials into our lives for the same reason. To produce an endurance to help us reach the finish line, resulting in a harvest of fruitful righteousness. All for our good, and God’s glory.

 

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September 10th – Hosea 10:12

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Hosea 10:12

Much of the hardship Israel endured, was a result of her disobedience to God. The people did as they pleased and forsook the ways of the Lord. And the United States is quickly following suit. Our country has also turned away from God. Its heart has grown hard and has been overtaken by the weeds of sin. And like Israel, we need to heed the warning of Hosea who tells us now is time to come back to God. The time to break up the fallow, unusable ground in the gardens of our hearts. To till under the tares of disobedience, bringing forth the rich, fertile soil of faith underneath. We are to sow seeds of righteousness, reaping mercy and love. For time is running out. The Day of the Lord will soon be upon us. And now is time to seek Him until He comes to rain His righteousness upon us.

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Justification Through Faith – Romans 4

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Romans 4

In the first four chapters of Romans, Paul makes it very clear that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. There isn’t a sacrifice we can make, a good deed we can do, nor a price we can pay to obtain salvation. The apostle taught it is only because of grace through faith that we are justified. Now that was a pretty radical concept to the Jewish people whose whole lives were wrapped up in the Law and a system of works. …

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January 26th – Galatians 2:20

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Galatians 2:20

The Christian life is all about change. Getting rid of the old and putting on the new. But change doesn’t just happen. It takes commitment and work. Commitment and work to lay down our sinful, fleshly desires of the past and put on the righteousness of Jesus. For once we accept Him as our Savior we no longer live for ourselves, but for the One who died to give us everything. That means becoming His ambassadors to a darkened world. Ambassadors who let Christ work through us to so that others can receive His precious gift of salvation.

January 26th – Galatians 2:20 Read More »