All tagged Righteousness
How do we deal with sins that we have fallen into? Do we wallow in despair, and think there is no rescue, or forgiveness? Where is our heart in the midst of our transgression, and have we been convinced by a dark world that our sin has forever damned us in the eyes of God? Well, that is the ploy of Satan, but we are provided forgiveness, and escape, if we will only believe, and come to God in contrition, asking for mercy and forgiveness. In this way we are forgiven completely.
God speaks to us all of the time, and some listen for His voice more attentively than others. It is good that we should hear God’s voice, but the real question is this: what do we do once we have heard it? When God speaks to us, and we know His will for us, we stand on the dividing line between obedience and sin... which way will we turn?
We are so naive when it comes to sin. We think that we can easily recognize it, when in fact our greatest sins are often those we lift up to ourselves, and others, as being our most magnificent accomplishments of faith. Things like the pride we take in a healing prayer when in fact it was God’s hand that did the work, and our feeling of self righteousness was merely an attempt to steal his glory... even when we outwardly praised Him. So many sins come encrusted in the sweetness of sugar, or a shining gold plate, when in fact it is sour bread, or crude metal underneath.
Are we working in unison with the Holy Spirit within us as he washes, transforms, and renews us, or do our human frailties cling to the sins of the old man, and slow to a crawl, or stop, our regeneration? Are we cheerful learners, or do we reluctantly bend to the will of God as His Spirit scrubs us clean?
How often do we, as believers, look at ourselves in satisfaction, and then, leaning back at the table, say “I am righteous Father!”? It is so easy to compare who we are with who we once were, or to stand others up next to us and judge ourselves by their actions and think we are righteous, but we are fooling ourselves. No, our righteousness is judged by God alone, and by a standard that only He can set, but there is hope, mercy, salvation, and grace through Jesus Christ... righteousness on which we can claim no personal ownership, and yet can receive in full.
How well are we at bridling our tongues? We might control whether we tell lies, or slander someone, but have we gained control over speaking foul words, profanity, or God forbid, taking the Lord’s name in vain? We know these words, so they have already tainted us to some degree, and we hear them spoken daily in common conversation, so we are tempted to use them ourselves. Since this is one way that a Christian is perceived by those around him, let’s ask ourselves... “Have I dirtied, and stained my cloak of righteousness with the filthy words I speak?”
We have no idea what the innocence of Adam and Eve was like before the fall. Oh, we can try to imagine it, but every thought we have is tainted by the flavor of sin. The knowledge of good came to them as promised by the serpent, but had evil as its dark shadow, and changed them, and us, forever. So now we work, and we suffer as we seek to recover in Christ what was lost in the Garden that day.
Are you feeling good about being chosen by God for righteousness? Do you think that God selected you, and urged your soul to open itself to Him because you were special, good, or by some other attribute were distinguished as being deserving above others? Well perhaps it’s time to look at yourself in a totally different light... to look In the mirror through the eyes of God.
We are meant to be God’s people, but do we turn our back on the one who has given us shelter and protection, and snapped at the hand that has fed us? When God called to us He showered us with His love and care through Jesus, but over time have some of us have become fixed once again on our own abilities, our own desires, and forgotten whose children we are? Have we spurned heaven, that eternal place we call home? If so, then what awaits us now, and has God lost His love for us?
Do we obey God’s word, and His commands? Are we attentive to His will, and adhere to His precepts? Or, do we lean on His mercy, grace, and forgiveness in daily contrition for the everyday sustenance of our faith... knowing we fail Him repetitively? Is asking for forgiveness day after day a legitimate substitute for obedience?
God’s grace is such a precious thing when it flows into us through Christ, but even in humbly receiving this unearned gift we can sometimes be tempted into taking pride in it. Just when we feel the closest to righteousness we are tempted most by what might initially seem like a minor discomfort, or a subtle thought, yet soon is a painful sore rubbed raw by baseless pride, our sin.
If you have proclaimed your love for God, and Jesus Christ, then don’t make peace with evil, and don’t come to terms with sin. There is no room in your life for a peaceful coexistence with the very thing that desires to destroy you.
Do you make excuses for sin? Do you make room on the seat beside you for sinful people? Do you find it noble, or gracious, to greet sin with a smile and a handshake? So often today we hear excuses made for allowing ourselves to coexist, tolerate, or even fold sin into our everyday lives. How do we approach sin in our lives? At what point does it stop being tolerated, and begin to influence our lives?
Do you suffer in your life simply because you deserve to? Is every bad thing that befalls you the result of some sin, or wrongdoing in your life? Certainly we have enough sin and disobedience in our lives to make an argument for this, but there are many times when we face hardship in the midst of our goodness, righteousness, and obedience. How should we view this seemingly unjust sorrow? Do we question God?
When we suffer it is natural to want that pain to be gone. Some, in the midst of their travail, will ask the Lord to remove that burden from them, and even question His motive, or goodness. They say “Why would a God of mercy and love do such a thing to us? Why would Jesus tell us to take up our cross?”, and their experience with suffering and death shakes their faith. Yet we are meant to suffer alongside Jesus, and the cross we bear leaves a crimson stain across our backs... His. This is our mark of faith, and promise of eternal glory.