Follow the Righteous

This seems like an easy thing, right. Well it is in the concept of it all. I do believe that a majority of those in the world understand that following the righteous is the approach that should be taken. To get it “right” we should be following the righteous.

Here’s the challenge. Who is the righteous that should be followed? Is it the grandiose leader giving everything under the sun? Is it the towering conqueror bringing others to justice? Is it the vocal religious figure speaking to the masses? The thing is, I don’t know of their righteousness. I only know what I see in their actions. I have to remember that God is the only one to declare someone righteous.

But, there is one who I can count on for being righteous and in counting on Him, I know following Him is the right path. Jesus.

“⁴Who will not fear, O Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

— Revelation 15:4 (ESV)

I do not have to look for the righteous to follow. He has been here since the beginning. I only have to follow Jesus. All of He and His actions and Himself were and are righteous and have been revealed as so. How many other’s have selflessly come to the world with the grand purpose of accepting all that I am and dying so that I would not have to.

I know what you may be thinking, there are others that have died for their cause, and you would be correct. But look at it, they have died for their cause and their single idea. This is not to be discredited and less than noble at all. These have given of themselves and should be recognized as doing so. Yet, it is just that these have died for a single cause and are no longer here to continue to advance that cause. Once gone from this world, their dedication to the cause is no more.

With Jesus, He came to this world for the purpose of dying for me. He gave all of Himself for me and then died, and here it is, He rose again and continued His work for me. Jesus was righteous in all of His actions and then died and rose again to continue with those righteous actions.

Now, I am not going to say that there are/weren’t other righteous to follow. As those who are passionate for those causes may very well be. What I am saying is that the only one we know, without a doubt to be righteous is Jesus. Following Him we are guaranteed to be following the righteous.

Who are you following that you believe to be righteous? Is their noble cause that makes them righteous? What if you were to follow the only one guaranteed to be righteous, Jesus?

Righteous do Good and Suffer

What, do good and suffer. Yes, as a follower of Christ we are to do good. As a result we are not going to necessarily be in line with the society or world around us and for that we will suffer.

“¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. ¹⁸For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” – 1 Peter 3:17 – 18 (ESV)

Jesus came to this world and was filled with and did good, as we know, He did not sin. He came for you and for me. He was the righteous one and yet He suffered greatly for you and for me. He died, even when He did not have to, for you and for me. And think about it, He was continually doing good and yet the world around Him persecuted Him.

In looking into this world, I see a lot going on. I see those that are doing what is put out as being good, only to find out that it was completely self-serving. Now, I do not claim to know the hearts of those doing the work, it could be that they were just naive in their thinking and actions. Then there are those who do the work of the LORD, regardless of the consequences. I think of those looking to provide support in North Carolina and being turned away as they did not “follow the protocols”. Those people are not looking for any recognition, only looking to help and yet the suffering for doing good is present.

I have to remember the example of Christ. I have to be the example of Christ. I have to be and do good. I have to know that it will not always be easy and know that I will be persecuted for it, suffer for it, and not fit in always, but it is the example that Christ left for me and it is the example that I have to leave for others.

What is your approach to doing good? Are you looking to get something out of it? What if you went into the good knowing that you will suffer for it and you were to press on anyway, demonstrating the example of Christ?

The LORD is Fixed on the Righteous

It is again not surprising, but amazing that the LORD leads me to passages again and again to learn. Where this morning I was brought to 1 Peter and a passage I have studied a number of times, the LORD has a different learning for me today. Even the verse I was lead to is a citation from Psalm that I have studied before with my exploring of the word “righteous”.

“¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

— 1 Peter 3:12 (ESV)

This morning I was struck, not by the eyes or ears of the LORD being on the righteous and their prayer, but by the intense focus He has in doing so. The LORD is fixed on the righteous. He is fully devoted to His people. His eyes and ears are fully engaged with all that we are doing and saying. He is so fixed on us that all others He has turned away from. Those who do evil are not in His sight or earshot. The LORD is with us always looking and listening for our needs and work completion for Him.

I know, this seems pretty ominous for those who are evil. How is it they will be found by the LORD if/when His eyes and ears are not focused on them. This is where the world gets the wrong idea of the LORD. The world seems to think that if the LORD does not bless everyone, then the LORD is not good. How could this loving god (lower case “g” intentional) not be loving to everyone and keep all from evil?

Well here is my visualization of it all. Imagine that the righteous are seen under a spotlight and that spotlight allows for audio (like the optical audio cable for your media). The LORD sees and hears that which is in the spotlight. All that is outside the spotlight is there yes, but not seen or heard by God. It is the work of those in the spotlight to bring others in through evangelism and love and the carrying of the gospel to them. Once those outside the spotlight step in, they are now seen and heard by the LORD.

This may be a bit of a simplification of what I read and study this morning. It is not that the LORD is not loving to those who are evil, it is that they are not the focus of His attention. It is those who are focused on and devoted to Him who get His immediate attention. To get the LORD’s immediate attention and be the focus of His eyes and ears, one has to turn to Him and devote to Him and the carry of His Word forward to the rest of the world.

As I write and study this morning, the world is in darkness. There is evil throughout. Yet, there are those who are in the light and that is where the LORD is fixed. He is looking to and listening for the righteous to bless them and guide them. The LORD is looking for the righteous to carry His Word and Grace forward to the world to bring more into the light. You see, the LORD loves all and wants all to experience salvation, and He will fix on all once they have turned to Him. Until then, He will remain fixed on the righteous and lead them to their reward in heaven.

What is your view of where God should be focused? Are you one that believes that God should give all the same regardless of standing with Him? What if you realized that the LORD loves all, and is fixed on the righteous and waiting for you to join them in the light?

Pray as the Righteous

I had a realization this morning that I should have had for some time, and likely did, it is that this morning it just seemed to hit me in a strong way. I have to pray as though I am righteous.

I know that I do not know of my righteousness. I only know that I am doing the work that God has for me and am actively taking righteous actions that are from my heart and for the LORD. So all that I am may not be righteous, yet I have to pray to the LORD with all of me as if I am righteous. All of my actions and work are for the LORD and are to be of righteous intent. I will learn of my righteousness when my time in this world is done. But while I am here, I am to function as though I am righteous in the LORD.

You see, it is my righteous actions that impact the world from the LORD. And yes, my impact is from the LORD, not from myself or my actions on my own. I have to be in the LORD as though I am righteous in Him.

“¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” – James 5:16 (ESV)

We do not know if it is our work for and in the LORD that “does the trick”. It may be that our work is the starter of the work. I may have been only here to plant the seed and it is the work of another that waters and still another that harvests. I do not know if it is my prayer that has the “great power” or if it is the prayer of another. As I do not know, I have to take action as though it is to ensure that the work of the LORD is manifest. I have to pray as if I am the only one, and illicit others to pray as well since I do not know if it is my prayer that has the “power” from the LORD.

As a human it is common to think that “if you want something done right, do it yourself”. This is a great approach to our prayer, with one exception. I have to ensure that others are praying as well as I do not know which is right. It may be that I am the righteous one and my prayer “has great power” or it could be another. This is an area where the more prayer we have, the greater the power of the LORD will be. Not that the sheer number of people praying is the thing, it is the idea that when there are more taking action there will be someone righteous bringing the prayer, not to mention as Jesus said,

“¹⁹Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” – Matthew 18:19-20 (ESV)

I may be righteous and when I pray I have great power, yet, I do not know that to be true as only the LORD can declare righteous. But as Jesus said, where there are multiple followers together, He will be with them and as they pray, He will hear their prayer and great power will come. I have to pray as though I am the one, but bring as many together as I can in the name of Jesus and His Will will be done.

What is your approach to prayer? Are you avoiding as you don’t know if it is working? What if you prayed as though it is you that is righteous, but since you don’t know, bring others in to magnify your prayer?

Righteous are Strong in Faith

The righteous live by faith as I have studied in God’s Word (Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11) and written my thoughts here. So, there is not the question of faith and righteousness. What I see this morning is that when our faith is strong, righteousness stays.

“’³⁸but my righteous one shall live by faith,

and if he shrinks back,

my soul has no pleasure in him.’

³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” – Hebrews 10:38-39 (ESV)

The writer of Hebrews sites from Romans and Galatians, those passages that I have studied and noted above, that the righteous live by faith. We have to know that it is our faith, and not our works that lead to our righteousness. Yes, we are to do the work of the LORD and that work is the demonstration of righteousness. It is not the works, but the faith in the LORD and that we are doing the work for Him and not ourselves that lead to righteousness.

There is the chance of “shrinking back” away from faith. When that does happen, the LORD will not be pleased with our action of falling away. We are human and I know, from experience, that the evil one will pull on us to draw us away from the LORD and our faith in Him. It is easy to be distracted by the world and all that it contains. It is easy to fall away from the LORD as the road to Him is hard and is filled with challenges and what we perceive as delays.

The thing is, we have to read verse 39 above to find encouragement and know that we are on the right path. The writer points out that “we are not of those who shrink back”. We are strong and will remain in the faith and therefore will be preserved in righteousness.

From here I take away that it is in the faith I have to remain. I have to stay in the Word of God for the encouragement to keep on keeping on. God’s Word is filled with that encouragement. In Romans, Galatians, Isaiah, Psalms and frankly all books of His Word. It is in our dedication to His Word that we are able to drown out the noise of the world and build our strength in the Faith that leads to righteousness.

Where are you finding strength for righteousness? Are you looking to the world? What if you were to find your strength in the Word of God to remain in the faith that will lead to righteousness?

Righteousness Rewarded

“⁸Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)

Paul was the LORD’s great evangelist. He did not work of God without concern for himself as was evident by the amount of time he was imprisoned and also executed for that work. He only looked forward to His time in heaven and knew that God appreciated his work and would recognize him for it when he arrived in heaven.

I know, I have been saying that we are not given the right to declare ourselves righteous, and yet here is Paul indicating that he would receive the “crown of righteousness”. How can he declare it so? Well, he is not. Paul knows the work that he has done and the dedication to the LORD he has and therefore is declaring that as God sees it He will declare it so. Paul was not doing the work to get the reward, he was doing the work as he had already been rewarded.

Paul knew that the chains of persecution would be coming off. They were there due to his dedication to the LORD. He was well aware of the way to have them removed in this world, and yet he persisted with his love and dedication and work to God. Paul worked for the LORD all the way to his death and never gave in to the world.

I wonder if I have dedicated myself to the LORD as Paul did. I know that I have not endured the same type of persecution as Paul, although it does still exist. I wonder if I am and will be dedicated to the work to my death and never give in to the world.

I can only do the work that God gives to me. I may not be traveling the world to spread the gospel, but I can do so here where I am. Our church mission is to have “A gospel movement that reaches every person in the hill country and is carried to the ends of the earth.” And from this I get that my role is to reach everyone I can where I am. I will have the chance to reach the one to carry it forward, I am to be focused on the work here where I am.

Yes, because of this medium my evangelism may reach you where you are. I am grateful for the chance to share with each of you. I am focused on my study of God’s Word and declaring my thoughts. In this world today, that affords me the chance to get those thoughts to the world. This is me doing the work where I am. This is me reaching you who has the chance to carry the gospel where you are. I know that not everyone is next door to me and that some are being reached all over the globe. To you I say spread the gospel where you are.

My actions will be rewarded by the LORD. I will be awarded that which He declares. I can only do the work here and know that I have done that work and rely on God to see and recognize as He sees fit when I arrive in heaven.

What work are you doing? Are you giving in to the world? What if you were to just do the work, knowing that you will be recognized and awarded for that work when you arrive in heaven?

Steadfast and Faithful, Evidence of Righteousness

“⁴Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. ⁵This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering” – 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5 (ESV)

The people of the church of the Thessalonians were sticking to the LORD. These people were under persecution for their following of Christ and Paul was fast to recognize it. He wanted them to know that they were not unnoticed. They were recognized to be righteous in their actions and their faith.

I know, I am reading into things a bit here as the righteous reference was to the judgment of God. I will not claim to know that the people were righteous. I simply see that their acts of faith and steadfastness are evidence of righteousness. They held to the LORD under all sorts of persecution and affliction and suffering. And, as you read on further in the passage, they are rewarded for it with the destruction of those persecuting them. Yet, they do not follow the LORD for their persecutors to be destroyed, they follow Him for the reward of heaven and communion with Him.

I have to let this be a lesson to me. I have to love the LORD and do His work, not for what I would receive here in this world, but it is what I am to do thanks to the grace He afforded me through His death. I have to give evidence to the LORD for his declaration of righteousness. I have to be steadfast and faithful through all, the good times and the persecution. The LORD will see my dedication to Him and ensure that I am given relief. He will judge my actions according to my heart. I will be rewarded with glory in heaven.

What evidence do you present of your dedication to the LORD? Are you hoping that you have taken a few actions to show it? What if you were steadfast and faithful always as your evidence of righteousness to the LORD?

Have Righteous Conduct

Again, I remind that we cannot declare ourselves righteous, that is left solely up to God. I can only take actions that are righteous and in line with the example that Christ has provided for me. In taking those actions, I have to also remember to conduct myself as Jesus would have during His time in this world.

“¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. ¹¹For you know how, like a father with his children, ¹²we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:10 – 12 (ESV)

Paul and his team were not just representatives of Christ as they worked with the church at Thessalonica, they did so in such a way as to be full examples of Christ. They were righteous and blameless in their actions and conduct. They were respectful and caring and encouraging along the way.

How often have we seen when there is help being provided that the attitude of the helpers is one of authority and matter of fact, and less about just being helpful. Paul was sure to not take on that approach here. He was gracious and did not expect some sort of return from the people. He was only there to lend a hand and guide them in their faith. Yes, there were likely challenging conversations and correcting, yet they were done in love and always in the name and manner of the LORD. As such, Paul and those with him were “holy and righteous and blameless” in their conduct.

Now for me. I have to remember that I am not all knowing, that is left to God. I have to remember to be righteous in my actions which should go without saying. But, I also have to be righteous in my conduct. Like Paul, I have to be respectful and caring and encouraging as I am taking righteous actions. I cannot be the authoritarian with the idea that I am somehow more holy than anyone else. The reality is that I too am a sinner and in need of caring and encouragement. I have to remember the why behind my actions, to bring the gospel to all I encounter and provide love to them in the process. Action without the proper attitude is not helpful. It is important that I am coming from the example of Christ and provide the conduct befitting of Him.

What is your approach to spreading the gospel? Are you the authoritarian bringing the boom to the sinners? What if you approached your actions as Christ, “holy and righteous and blameless” in your conduct as you are caring and encouraging with your actions?

Righteous by Faith

How many of us are out there waiting to be told what direction to go and what to do? I know that is a common thing in the world. It seems as though there is minimal knowing what to do and lots of doing what told to do.

“¹¹Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ ¹²But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’” – Galatians 3:11-12 (ESV)

Paul is writing to the church at Galatia and explaining to them that we should not rely on the law to keep us going in the right direction. You can see in verse 12 above that when relying on the law, one is slave to the law. One is unable to move forward unless there is a law or decree or word that tells them. It requires obedience to the law to follow the law. One cannot be focused on the law and being guided by it and still follow the LORD and being guided by Him.

Yes, I know that the basis of the law is in the idea of doing right. But, right as to who says. Where the law allows for something, say squatting in a property and taking ownership, that does not make it right under the LORD. The law is not inherently bad or good, it is set up to benefit those who have generated it.

One should be faithful to the LORD and not the law. When we are, we will be on the side of right, without relying on the law. Squatting in a property is not inherently good or bad. Where one may be able to borrow a property for a short time, once the owner returns, that property is theirs because it is right. The squatter was simply borrowing while unused. It is in the LORD that caring for others in their time of need is allowed, and allowing for someone to borrow property is in the LORD.

It is not under the law that we are following the law. It is through faith in the LORD. We are doing good, not as the law instructs through dos and don’ts, it is as we follow the LORD and have faith in His divine work and care for us and those in need. We are an extension of Him in this world as we do the work He has for us. All that we know and do as relates to the work of the LORD is found in His Word and as such, we know all we need to know about the law.

I personally find it exhausting reviewing each and every word of the law or the rules in order to function. Trying to keep up with them does nothing but create more and more confusion and anxiety as I try to keep every rule in all situations. I choose to relieve myself of the confusion, anxiety, and exhaustion by doing what is right by way of the LORD. When I do, I am able to simply move through this world knowing that I have pleased the LORD and as a follow of Him, I have done that which is important and allow myself the chance to be counted as righteous.

What is your approach to being righteous? Are you seeking to follow all the laws and that will get it done? What if you were to follow the LORD and were okay with just doing as He commands, allowing Him the opportunity to declare you as righteous?

Thanks to Jesus the Law is Righteous

I should finish with “in us”. God’s Law is righteous as it comes from Him. It is our now new understanding of what His Law provides that we now sin. It is Jesus, who was sent to die for our sin that brings God’s Law back to righteousness in us.

“³For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:3-4 (ESV)

I need help each day with my sin. I am predisposed to sinning and “NEED” help with it. I know God’s Law as I read and study each day to ensure of it. But, as noted, knowing the law only drives me to sin. I ask God each day to help me with my sin. I as for His guiding hand through my day to keep me busy with His work so that I can avoid the sin that is surely to come.

I do not have it in my own self to avoid sin. Sin I of the flesh and I am of the flesh. Thanks be to Jesus for taking my sin. Thanks be to Him for giving me the chance to avoid sin. Thanks to Jesus, I have the Word of God to keep me looking to Him that I might be able to avoid the sin. Thanks be to the LORD for providing the Holy Spirit to walk with me.

The Law of God is righteous yet, as I am of the flesh there was a need for the Law to be shown as righteous to me. Jesus was sent to do just that. He took my sin and offered me grace. The Law was demonstrated to be righteous through His actions. As such, I was brought to the righteousness of the Law so that I could use it as the guide it is.

Where do you attribute the righteousness in the Law of God? Are you looking to yourself to avoid sin? What if you were to recognize that the Law of God is righteous thanks to Jesus and you can use it to guide you to avoid sin?