Tag Archives: righteousness

October 31
Leave a comment
Uncategorized

“But a beautiful palace does not make a great king!  Why did your father Josiah reign so long?  Because he was just and fair in all his dealings.  That is why God blessed him.  He saw to it that justice and help were given the poor and the needy and all went well for him.  This is how a man lives close to God.”  (Jeremiah 22:15-16, Living Bible)

Reject the notion that possessions make a great person; or are the evidence of God’s favor.

Yes, it is difficult to reject this kind of thinking when it is so prevalent and so prominent in our society; but Jeremiah reminds us that it is the practice of justice and fairness — particularly for the benefit of the least of our neighbors — that pleases God.

It’s never about what you have.  It’s always about what you are!  – Luther

Tagged , , ,
October 8
Leave a comment
Uncategorized

“The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.”  (Isaiah 26:7, NIV)

While it is true that — externally — the path of the righteous is full of “ups and downs”; internally, at the seat of our heart and spirit, the path is bubble-center level for the person who faithfully follows the leading of the Spirit.

If we allow it, the external, visible, tangible, temporal, physical pressures of living will dictate our internal, invisible, intangible, eternal, spiritual perspective.  Don’t allow it.  In fact, turn it around so that your view of things visible is always informed, guided, and determined by things invisible.

It is the serenity that the “Upright One” alone provides that allows you to, as poet Rudyard Kipling wrote, “keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.”  – Luther

Tagged , ,
October 5
Leave a comment
Uncategorized

“Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.”  (Philippians 3:17, NIV)

Every person is a “model.”  Some people are examples of what to do; and others are examples of what not to do.

Paul encouraged the disciples in Philippi to follow his own example, and to follow others in the community who live similarly.

Righteous living needs to be encouraged because it often requires making choices that are contrary to the culture; such as, eschewing the love of money, loving our enemies, and being kind to the poor.

If you are discouraged because it seems that you’re alone on the narrow path of righteous living, look around!  When you find a fellow-traveler, keep your eyes on him or her, even if from afar.  – Luther

Tagged , , ,
← Older posts
Newer posts →