Right or Righteous Podcast Episode

Do you want to be right or righteous?

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Right or Righteous?

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. – Proverbs 21:21 NLT

I’ll share this, God has been working on me when it comes to righteousness. I’ll keep this post short because I will discuss the topic in greater detail in a podcast.

He’s challenging me to understand the difference between right and righteousness. When I say right, I’m referring to the desire to always be right. Not the inherent rightness of righteousness.

It’s no coincidence that the verse mentions the pursuit of righteousness and unfailing love together. Perfect love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5), so righteousness can’t simply be about being right, it has to be more than that, deeper than that. See, true, godly righteousness pairs with unfailing love.

Jesus is the perfect example, right? Jesus is righteousness. Jesus is also unfailing love and its perfect example. Jesus, of course, was always right, but His pursuit was one of righteousness and unfailing love.

If you’re working to pursue the two, righteousness and unfailing love, you’ll find life, righteousness, and honor. In Jesus is fullness of life, righteousness, and honor. When you work like Jesus worked and pursue what Jesus pursued, you’ll be able to receive what Jesus has to offer.

So, how has God been working with me in understanding the difference between right and righteousness? Well, that’s a podcast chat, and I’ll just say it’s a humbling lesson.

The Comparison Trap – Job 21

More or Less Series

One thing I want to do more of this year is be intentional. I mean, that is a daily goal, but it’s not easy. Intentionality takes so much work, so much care, so much, intention… But who am I to ask for others to be more intentional if I’m not more intentional myself?

When I say intentional, I mean really purposeful. I want everything I do to have a purpose to it, before I do it. Now, I’m not perfect, so I know that that won’t always be the case, but where I can help it, shouldn’t it be the case? I want there to be intentional purpose behind my work, play, and relationships. I don’t want to do anything with no meaning behind it; I want it done because it will serve a great purpose either now or in the future.

Honestly, life is just too short to waste it doing things with no true meaning behind it. Its past time to be and stay eternally focused. To me, that’s intentional living, doing things with the mindset that it will eternally matter. When we approach the simplest things in life that way, we start to take better care of the people and things around us. We certainly begin to value the time we have too. Be intentional in your focus today. With a focus on eternity, it would be hard not to be.

The Grace of God Matters

The Grace of God matters. In Galatians 2, Paul is referring to the old system of the law. This idea that if we keep every commandment and do all these good works, we will somehow earn God’s love and salvation. He discusses this idea that eating the right food and doing all the right things puts us in right standing with God. Unfortunately, this is still an idea that is alive today in the church and its believers.

God’s grace is sufficient. No one is saying don’t abide by the things that God wrote in His commandments. Of course we should keep the Commandments, that’s what God wrote them for—for us to obey. But the idea that if we keep them, God will love us is completely wrong. God loves you, period. Obedient or disobedient, right or wrong, slave or free, God just loves you.

The idea that keeping these Commandments will get you saved, is wrong. Paul is addressing this idea. We wouldn’t need Jesus to die if simply living right would save us. Keeping the law doesn’t make us right with God. Jesus does. Grace does. Through Jesus’s righteousness that we accept on our behalf, we want to keep the law. We are unable to keep the law outside of Jesus Christ.

We don’t do what’s right to be right with God. God’s grace allows us to be in right standing with God. There is no being right with God apart from His grace. Paul said it best,

“I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” – Galatians 2:21

Do the Right Thing

Proverbs 21:3 The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.

Just do the right thing. Do what’s right in school. Do what’s right at work. Do what’s right in relationships. Do what’s right towards people.

Just do the right thing. Ask yourself, what is the right thing to do? If you are Christian, that should be a simple question with a definite answer, whatever God says.

The Bible reiterates that God would rather have obedience than some material sacrifice. This verse says doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the LORD.

So do the right thing in every situation, always. God would always rather have our obedience than a sacrifice to him because we messed up. Do what’s right for God’s glory. Treat others right for God’s glory. Treat God’s creation with respect for His glory.

Dare I quote Spike Lee in saying, just do the right thing.

What I’ve Learned So Far

Happy Anniversary

I guess I messed around and started an anniversary tradition last year, so I have to keep it going now. I get to write a special blog for Brandon! I’ve titled this one What I’ve Learned So Far.

#1 I’ve learned that I’m not always right, even though I want to be.

#2 I’ve learned that it’s OK to do things out of my comfort zone (as long as Brandon has to do it too lol).

#3 I’ve learned that there are some things Brandon cooks better than me, and I’m quite OK with that.

#4 I’m not the best listener in the world.

#5 I could be a little nicer more often.

#6 Being a Proverbs 31 woman is hard (I knew that before marriage though).

#7 It’s one thing to know the right thing to do, quite another to actually do it in your marriage.

#8 What you pray for in your marriage is what tends to be under attack.

#9 Something special happens when spouses pray for each other.

#10 It’s best to be the first to break the silence, this tends to break pride, which is usually a good thing in marriage.

Thank you for the lessons learned with you Brandon. Most importantly, thank You God for being patient with me as I learn them.

Is it You?

Why are we so surprised by wrongdoing? I don’t mean that as a literal question. I myself am often surprised at how wrong people can treat others and think it’s OK. So maybe surprised isn’t the word, maybe I’m just dumbfounded by it.

People who mistreat people, who desire to do that, are living in darkness. There is bitterness and unhappiness that stirs a desire to mistreat people. Many people live in this bitterness, so we really shouldn’t be so surprised by it when we witness. It’s what they know at this point.

Most importantly, the Bible gives us a heads up about it all. The Bible actually tells us that some of these people who are living in darkness actually think that they’re living in light. There are actually people who think that some of the wrongs they commit are actually right. It’s crazy, right?

Here’s the real question though. Is that you? Because the thing is, you might have read this and thought of someone who fits this description. However, the main thing is that that someone isn’t able to read this, and think of you.

Matthew 6:23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

Love People to Jesus

Is love your number one goal? We live in a world today where people believe it’s OK to say whatever you want to because it’s true. It’s a free country, and you certainly have that right to, but how you say it and your motive behind it could be more harmful for you and them than you realize. So, let’s just get to the nitty gritty.

Jesus wasn’t a pushover. We like to use the term, “I have my truth.” Well, Jesus had His because He literally was the truth. And even in the things He said to the Pharisees that may make us blush in embarrassment for them, were said out of love for them. Jesus felt nothing but love for people, and no matter how aggressive His speech had to be to get that point across, He did and said everything out of love.

So, what’s my point? Do we do what we do or say what we say out of love? Or are we more motivated by the opportunity to correct someone? Or maybe the opportunity to just be right? And for some, even the opportunity to just call people out?

Here’s the bottom line.

If love wasn’t your goal, you were wrong. When you said what you said, was it because you loved them? When you did what you did, was it because you loved them? If it wasn’t, you were wrong. And no matter how true it may have been, if you didn’t say it as an expression of love in leading someone to Christ, you were wrong. See, no matter what, if you spoke the truth in selfishness, comparison, and pride, you didn’t speak it in love. And that’s wrong.

If love wasn’t your motive, then you may have made a mess.

 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  (1 Cor. 13:4,5).

1 Corinthians 14:1 Let love be your highest goal…

 

 

Study this Book – Proverbs 22