“RIGHTEOUSNESS”
- a Daily Devotional by Rev. Don Schink, © 2010
- a Daily Devotional by Rev. Don Schink, © 2010
Romans 1:17:
“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last. Just as it is written: “The righteous shall live by faith.”” (NIV)
Absolutely everything that we need to know for eternal life is in the Bible. The gospel, as given in Scripture, is God’s power revealing what we need to know regarding the righteousness of God. In 1 Corinthians 1:27-31, Paul testified, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (28) He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, (29) so that no one may boast before Him. (30) It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, Who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (31) Therefore, as it is written: Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” On our own, we are worthless. That’s just how it is. Any good that comes to you and me is the righteousness of God. As we give our hearts and lives to him, by faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone, then we find what we need to live victorious Christian lives.
In Psalm 48:10, the Psalmist testified, “Like Your name, O God, Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.” Righteousness comes from God and God alone. None of it is of ourselves.
In Psalm 119:137, we read, “Righteous are You, O Lord, and Your laws are right.” If we want to learn to live in the love and the grace of God, being right in His sight, then we need to study His Word, the Bible, daily. It is by being in the Word of God that we really begin to grasp what holy and righteous living really is, in line with His Word and His will. In Psalm 145:17, we find, “The Lord is righteous is all His ways and loving toward all He has made.” So as we reach out to Him by faith, He will not disappoint us. That doesn’t always mean that everything will always be easy. Quite frankly, it is often quite the opposite. But He is as close as we allow Him to be.
In Romans 10:17, the Bible says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of God.” In Hebrews 11:1, we read, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In Hebrews 11:6, we read, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” In fact, Hebrews, chapter 11 is filled with great examples of people who have walked in faith before us and diligently sought the Lord wholeheartedly!
In James 2:17, we read, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” It comes back to why we do what we do as Christians. We are not saved by our good works. We can never earn nor deserve to get to heaven by our works. But, because of Who He is in our hearts and lives and because of what He has done on our behalf for our salvation, we serve out of gratitude, not a sense of duty or obligation. We do so out of “an attitude of gratitude”.
In Ephesians 2:8-9, the Bible says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – (9) not by works, so that no one can boast.” When you get a gift, a gift is a gift. You do not have to earn it. If it is truly a gift, it is given, as a true gift should be.
So it is clear from the Word that you and I need to men and women, boys and girls, of faith. As a result of our faith, our righteousness is truly from God, not our own, nor are we saved by serving. We serve out of love and gratitude.
For questions and comments, please email me at: PastorDonNM@gmail.com
