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Saturday, June 30

What is Righteousness?

Righteousness...

What is it?

Righteousness is holy, upright living, which conforms to God’s standards and is based on His character.

In former days, righteousness was spelled rightwiseness, which is the clearer meaning. It comes from root words meaning rightness, equity, justification, just, holy, or innocent.

*How is it attained?

It cannot be obtained (possessed) or attained (accomplished) by obedience nor by works... It is by grace alone, for “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9 NKJV)

*What does it do?

It makes us right in God’s eyes... We are not righteous because of any inherent goodness; we are righteous because of our identification with Christ by faith. Because of the blood Jesus shed as our sacrifice for sin, we have been justified in the eyes of God. We have been made righteous by Christ’s righteousness within us.

It gives us God’s wisdom... “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Cor. 1:30 NIV)

Things are added to our lives... When we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, Scripture says, “all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33 NKJV) All what things? All the things necessary for life.

*How does it look/behave?

It is not hypocritical... If our righteousness does not surpass “that of the Pharisees...[we] will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:20 NIV)

It hungers and thirsts for more... “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matt. 5:6 NIV)

It produces right living within us... “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” (Isa. 32:17 NIV) We will, therefore, behave in a Godly manner, with peace, quietness, and confidence as distinguishing marks of God’s character at work within us.

Is rightwiseness at work in you?

Friday, June 18

Hungry? Thirsty?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
after righteousness, for they will be filled.”
(Matt. 5:6 NIV)

Continuing in the beatitudes series…

Did you ever feel hungry or thirsty? Fainting? Tired? Need recharging? What did you do? More than likely, you nurtured yourself with food, water, rest, and whatever else your body needed.

David got hungry and thirsty. He said to the Lord, “My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water,” (Ps. 63:1b NLT) and “You constantly satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.” (Ps. 145:16 TLB)

While in the wilderness, Israel hungered and thirsted, as David tells us, “Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. ‘Lord, help!’ they cried in their trouble, and He rescued them from their distress.” (Ps. 107:5-6 NLT)

Just as it is possible to get weary physically, it is equally possible to get weary spiritually.

Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35TLB) And “For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me.” (John 7:38 TLB)

God “gives food to the hungry” (Ps. 146:7 NKJV) and “turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water. He brings the hungry to settle there.” (Ps. 107:35-36 NLT) But the Lord’s offering of refreshing, spiritual bread and water, is not from without, but from within.

When you become tired from your journey and your weary soul shrivels up, feeling bone-dry, what do you do? When every last drop of spiritual vitality has evaporated, where do you go to fill that lack? Do you reach outside to the world to replenish yourself? Or do you seek solace within to refresh yourself with the Bread of Life and the Living Waters?

When you reach within to draw from the Lord, just as Elijah, He will lead you to drink of the Brook Cherith and command His wings servants to feed you. And when you hunger and thirst after the things of God, you will be filled.

That is God’s promise to you!