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“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." – Proverbs 14:34
Living in righteousness requires that one fully embrace and understand the meaning of the word. Most people will immediately discount the word righteousness, because it brings with it an expectation of perfection and living a Christ-like life. Certainly, we agree that righteousness (the act of being righteous) implies that one is living within societies accepted standards of morality, values and justice. But who defines those things? Is there a single standard for being righteous or living morally?
The essence of righteous living draws one to conclude that a person is living upright and within the boundaries set by men and by God. For the root of righteous stems from the old English term right wise, meaning a person that was wise and correct in their actions. In the reference of scripture the term has Hebrew roots in the word “tsedaq”, which means accurate, fair, justice, rightly or Holy.
Can a nation live righteously? Can you?
We often times step away from that which seems daunting and unachievable and throw up our hands in defeat. What use is it, I am only one person, how can I change the nation? It’s this attitude of poor me and helplessness that continues to be the demise of our society in general. When those who stand for righteousness stop caring, the enemy has won. You and I may not single handedly teach people across the nation about turning from their sinfulness and toward righteousness, but we can teach those around us. Those in our family, our friends our sphere of influence are within our reach. It becomes a choice as to whether or not you are willing to stand up for it or not.
The word righteous appears in the Bible nearly 500 times because we are called to live in this manner. Christ lived upon this earth as an example of a righteous life. Can you become righteous as Christ is righteous, hardly. You were born into sin, by the very nature of the blood that runs through your veins. On the other hand, He was born of the Holy Spirit, through the virgin Mary without the sin of mankind. He was perfectly righteous from the moment of His first breath and through His last upon the cross. We have faith in His righteousness as our salvation, for God demands perfection and righteousness for eternity with Him. Without Christ as the sacrifice for our sinful nature, there is no way to achieve righteousness on our own. You might be able to be righteous for 4 or 5 minutes at a time now and then, but your very sinful nature will once again get in the way.
Despite your attempts at living righteous, you will find it unachievable. Bring the Holy Spirit into the equation, and all of a sudden your righteousness meter goes up dramatically. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in your life and influence those around through His direction and one by one, many by many we can make an impact in the righteousness of this nation. Nothing is beyond the capacity or capability of our Father in Heaven. He is above all things and when we choose to trust and follow Him, we can do amazing things with the little bit of skill and talent He has given us. Start with your household and then work your way out from there. Start living with righteousness in your own life through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, then let that expand to those around you. You’ll be surprised how much influence you really have.
The essence of righteous living draws one to conclude that a person is living upright and within the boundaries set by men and by God. For the root of righteous stems from the old English term right wise, meaning a person that was wise and correct in their actions. In the reference of scripture the term has Hebrew roots in the word “tsedaq”, which means accurate, fair, justice, rightly or Holy.
Can a nation live righteously? Can you?
We often times step away from that which seems daunting and unachievable and throw up our hands in defeat. What use is it, I am only one person, how can I change the nation? It’s this attitude of poor me and helplessness that continues to be the demise of our society in general. When those who stand for righteousness stop caring, the enemy has won. You and I may not single handedly teach people across the nation about turning from their sinfulness and toward righteousness, but we can teach those around us. Those in our family, our friends our sphere of influence are within our reach. It becomes a choice as to whether or not you are willing to stand up for it or not.
The word righteous appears in the Bible nearly 500 times because we are called to live in this manner. Christ lived upon this earth as an example of a righteous life. Can you become righteous as Christ is righteous, hardly. You were born into sin, by the very nature of the blood that runs through your veins. On the other hand, He was born of the Holy Spirit, through the virgin Mary without the sin of mankind. He was perfectly righteous from the moment of His first breath and through His last upon the cross. We have faith in His righteousness as our salvation, for God demands perfection and righteousness for eternity with Him. Without Christ as the sacrifice for our sinful nature, there is no way to achieve righteousness on our own. You might be able to be righteous for 4 or 5 minutes at a time now and then, but your very sinful nature will once again get in the way.
Despite your attempts at living righteous, you will find it unachievable. Bring the Holy Spirit into the equation, and all of a sudden your righteousness meter goes up dramatically. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in your life and influence those around through His direction and one by one, many by many we can make an impact in the righteousness of this nation. Nothing is beyond the capacity or capability of our Father in Heaven. He is above all things and when we choose to trust and follow Him, we can do amazing things with the little bit of skill and talent He has given us. Start with your household and then work your way out from there. Start living with righteousness in your own life through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, then let that expand to those around you. You’ll be surprised how much influence you really have.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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