Turned Away From Righteous The LORD Molds Us Back

“⁶We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

— Isaiah 64:6 (ESV)

Notice how verse six above begins that “we have all become”. This indicates to me that I have turned away from and chose a specific path. I have allowed sin to take hold of me and has taken me “away”. It is on me that I have turned this way and not that the LORD has forsaken me. He has allowed me to be my own and my choice was to turn away from Him.

This is difficult to understand that the LORD allowed me to choose to turn away from Him. Isn’t the LORD supposed to be all loving and to keep me from trials and difficulty. Well, He is really all loving and allows us to be independent thinkers and doers. It is our choice to turn away and He allows us that free choice. The thing is that choices come with consequences and in this instance, the consequence is being carried away by our sin.

But, there is a light at the end of this tunnel of iniquity. The LORD will mold us into that which He would have us be.

“⁸But now, O Lord, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.”

— Isaiah 64:8 (ESV)

When we have given ourselves to the LORD through our hearts acceptance of the salvation He gives, the LORD will form us as His child. He will use His hands to mold me into His vessel and then, as with clay, to solidify my form, I will have to be put into the fire (consequences of my iniquity). I will come out the other side as a vessel for the LORD. But again, as with clay, I will be fragile and will need to continue my belief in Him and His way for me, else I crack. Although, even with the cracks, the LORD will repair me as He again puts me through the fire.

The thing is that it was a choice to turn away from the LORD and I will continue to turn away periodically from the LORD. I am human and have that choice. I have to remember that the LORD is my potter and that I may have just been placed in the fire to be solidified or after repair and that when I come out the other side, I will be strong for the LORD once again.

What is your view of your life after salvation? Are you of the thoughts that you are good and how can the LORD allow you to suffer? What if you were to realize that it is you that have turned away, but the LORD is there to mold you back into the vessel for His glory?

Jesus Took My Sin So I Could Be Counted Righteous

You heard me right, Jesus took my sin on himself so that I could be counted righteous.

“¹¹Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.”

— Isaiah 53:11 (ESV)

“³⁸Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” – Acts 13:38-39 (ESV)

I owe Jesus so much and yet will never be able to repay Him for the one act of dying for me. Yes, I said that right, He died for me. He did it so that I could be elevated to be called righteous.

No, I do not see myself as righteous, as I have said, only God can declare as righteous. But I can and will perform righteous acts. These acts are in obedience to the LORD and to say thank you for being there for me. Thanks for comforting and guiding me. Thanks for the forgiveness of my sins. Thanks for dying for me. Even as I know that I will not be able to repay His act of love for me, I still must continue offering myself to Him in obedience.

Jesus died for me, intentionally. Yes, He did it on purpose and it was righteous. He only asked if there was another way for the Father’s will to be done. What a show of love to me. Jesus said if there was another way to fulfill the LORD’s plan that would be preferred, yet if death is the only way, He was willing to do whatever the LORD had for Him to provide salvation for me. This is the example for me and my service to the LORD. I should ask if there is another way, but be willing to do whatever is asked, knowing that those actions are righteous in the eyes of the LORD.

Jesus was counted as righteous so that I could be counted as righteous. Notice the word “could” used as I write. I am intentional with the word as I am not righteous just because of Jesus’ death. I am only given the opportunity to be counted as righteous. I have work to do and that work is for the LORD. I have accepted the free gift of salvation and am doing the work for the LORD, and thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus and His grace, I am hopeful that I will be counted as righteous. But, I do not see myself as there yet, I still have work to do. As long as I am here in this world, I have work to do for the LORD and I will learn of my righteous status when I meet the LORD in heaven.

What are your thoughts on your becoming righteous? Do you see yourself having arrived there already? What if you looked as I do in that you have been given the opportunity to be counted as righteous thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, yet you have work to do?

Be Yourself Righteous to Bring Joy

First, let me be clear and remind that we cannot declare ourselves righteous. Now, let me add that to bring joy, I have to be righteous, or more accurately, take righteous action. It is what is seen that the people of this world will react to. I have heard and said the phrase, “do as I say, not as I do” but as we all know, it is the actions that are mimicked more often than the words said. Therefore, when we want someone to act a certain way, we have to demonstrate those actions to them so that they will see the example and realize that is the proper action.

“²When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,

but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”

— Proverbs 29:2 (ESV)

I remember seeing a video once referring to being the lone nut (can be found on YouTube). It is a leadership lesson and I guess that is what I am speaking about this morning. In the video, there is a view of what appears to be a hillside festival and you see one person just dancing without care to what or who is around them. Over time more and more people join in the dancing, not because they are told to, but because they were given the example. This is a lesson for us to follow as we progress in our life with the LORD. I am to be the lone nut that brings joy and as I demonstrate that joy, others will join in and then all the people will rejoice.

There is loneliness in the standing for something that is right. And a lot of the time, one will experience the feeling of giving up as the result of the action is not happening in the timeline imagined by the one. The thing is, I have to remember that God does not work on my timeline and He only asks me to do the work for Him and that I would be rewarded. I demonstrate righteous actions not to be followed or recognized by the world, it is to be recognized by God. He will reward me. Sometimes that reward is more work, and sometimes, He rewards with seeing the demonstration of joy in those around me. I am not to be discouraged and should just continue doing the work for the LORD and allow Him to increase the joy in me for the work I have done.

When have you been the lone nut? Were you doing so for your own reward? What if you were to do so for the glory of the LORD and to see the joy in those around you at the pleasure of Him?

The LORD Listens to Hear His Righteous

This morning as I continue my study of the word “righteous” I found myself thinking as a parent and again remembering that the LORD is my Father and parent. I am speaking of how a parent seeks out the voice of their children. I remember many times being out in the world with the boys and where they were not next to me, I always new where they were. I may have been far from them physically, but I was always close enough to hear their voice. I don’t know if I had super hearing or not, but I was always able to distinguish their voice in their time of need. The LORD is the same with each of His righteous.

“²⁹The LORDis far from the wicked,

but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”

— Proverbs 15:29 (ESV)

“¹⁸The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

¹⁹He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.”

— Psalm 145:18-19 (ESV)

The LORD is always near enough to His righteous that when they cry out or simply call on Him, He hears and will direct His attention to them. Regardless of the need or the reason for the cry, the LORD will be there for His righteous at a moments notice. He will celebrate, comfort, and/or cry with them, whatever the situation calls. The LORD listens to hear His righteous.

Again, I come to the question as to whether or not I am or we know that we are righteous as how do we know that the LORD is listening for us. Well, we know that He listens for us thanks to our acceptance of His gift of salvation. He offered, we accepted, and we are immediately adopted into the family of God as His child. Now, whether or not we are righteous, we do not know as that should not be the focus of our lives to somehow gain righteousness. My focus should be following the will of God and spreading the Good News to give others the same opportunity for salvation that I was afforded. I have to do the work and know that the LORD will grant me based on my heart.

I am tasked with doing the work of the LORD. I cannot concern myself with reaching some sort of pinnacle of acceptance that I do not control. The LORD will hear me when my heart is with Him and He dwells there in me. He hears me when I cry out. He listens for me to come to me in my time of need. The LORD is mine and I am His.

What is your thought on crying out to the LORD? Are you doing so with the hope that He might be listening? What if you took the approach that you are His child and know that He is listening for your voice and is available when you need Him?

“The House of the Righteous Will Stand”

Ever wonder how some are spared destruction while others are completely torn down.

“⁷The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

but the house of the righteous will stand.”

— Proverbs 12:7 (ESV)

It is due to righteousness as identified by the LORD. Again, I want to be clear in that we and no one in this world can declare righteousness. We can only perform actions from our heart and in the name of the LORD and as He sees, only He can declare us righteous. We don’t know it, we are not made aware at any time. We are only here to do the work of the LORD because it is the right thing to do.

It is those who are in the favor of the LORD for doing His work that are granted the reprieve from the destruction. The righteous are not seeking the lack of destruction, they are only seeking the completion of the work assigned by God and then moving on to the next assignment. There is no review of the work and comparing it to anyone else. There is no shouting aloud the work done. There is only the doing of the work and moving to the next.

No, it is not fair that there are those who are spared, at least that is the rumblings from those who are on the other side of righteousness. It is not supposed to be fair. There is doing the work of God and there is not doing the work of God. Those who do not, are those who are not in the favor of Him. And when not in the favor of the LORD, destruction is bound to follow.

I know that I may be painting some doom and gloom when coupled with other study and writings related to the word “righteous”. The idea that not everyone is righteous and especially when we break down the numbers to see the very small number who are declared righteous. The truth hurts. It is not pleasant to know these things. It is important to note that righteous is not for everyone and those who are not will suffer destruction.

How to be righteous, well that is pretty simple. Devote yourself to the LORD and His work. Move on to the next once the work is done and do not expect anything in return. Only know that you have done the work of the Father and spread the Good News of His Salvation and that the world around you is better for it. The LORD will witness your work and know your heart and deliver you from destruction.

What are you expecting from the work you do? Are you looking around and wondering why your world is crumbling while others seem to stand tall? What if you only worried with the work you are doing for the LORD and allow Him to bless you as you move on to the next bit of work for Him?

Sent By The Father

This morning as I was reading and studying my bible I was reminded that it is the Father, God, LORD, who sends me out. I know what we may be thinking, and frankly when you read, it was Jesus who sent the disciples and by extension, us out to spread the gospel. And where that is true, I have to remember that Jesus is LORD and God and Father.

“²¹Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” – John 20:21 (ESV)

Here in this passage it was indeed Jesus. But look closely at the above verse and see how, when we know that Jesus is the Father, it is stated, “As the Father…I am sending you.” Oh how my conscious view changes.

Even in the secular and societal world, when someone is given a directive from an authority to send or have someone do something, they are doing so as if the authority itself sent and has them do. Now I am not comparing the secular and societal world to God the Father and His direction, but I am showing the parallel that can be drawn.

I am sent by God the Father to do His will. I was given the directive from Jesus, who is the Father as part of the trinity with the Holy Spirit as well. In fact, as you look into the next verse in the passage, Jesus directly extends the Holy Spirit to the disciples as He does for each of us as well.

“²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” – John 20:22 (ESV)

I see this verse and recall that our Father would send the helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with us. Jesus is in the Father and the Holy Spirit is in Jesus whom He shares with the disciples, you, and me.

Jesus said the words sending me and breathed the Holy Spirit onto me, not as an act of a messenger, but as the Father. The Father is sending me out to do His will and spread the Good News.

Who is sending you? Are you caught up in the words and who they are delivered by? What if you accepted that the words were given by Jesus, but as the Father, He is sending you?

Freedom in the Spirit

Seems like when I make the statement as in the title of this writing, “Freedom in the Spirit”, I may be saying that freedom is not tangible and really only something that we are really not able to experience. Well that is not true at all. It is the word “the” that makes it completely different and does create the tangible thing for us all to experience.

“¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” — 2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV)

You see, here Paul is speaking of the Holy Spirit and as we know, the Lord is the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ all in one. And therefore, when we are dwelling in the Spirit and the Spirit in us, we are dwelling in the Lord and He in us. This dwelling gives us freedom from this world and all that is in it. Actually one of you following my blog gave the comment; “Being in close communion with the Trinity frees me from the lies spewed out by gov. big business and TV which promotes hatred, worry and confusion.” and I could not agree more. When we are in the Spirit, we are free from the influences of the world and are able to live a life above the world with Jesus.

I have to be careful as I do not want to mislead and indicated that I am greater than the world, that is not the case, as I live in this world just as everyone else does and am subject to what goes on in this world. What I am saying is that I do not have to worry with what goes on in this world, as I serve a higher power and when in service of God, the consequences of the world do not concern me as it is the favor of God that I am serving and not the favor of this world.

This favor of God is what gives me the freedom to live in this world and know that I am only here for a little while, passing through on my way to heaven where I will spend eternity. In heaven I will not have to concern myself with this world as I will no longer be it in and will live free to serve and glorify God even still.

Where are you looking for freedom? Are you looking to the world to provide freedom for you? What if you were to dwell in the Spirit to experience the freedom that comes with His dwelling in you?