…But He loves him who follows righteousness.”
Proverbs 15:9
I try to read my devotions
every day or as often as I can (because life can get crazy, right?). Devotions
keep me on track spiritually and deepen my faith. So, not long ago. I was
reading a certain devotion that reminded me of how we ̶ when we accept Christ
into our hearts ̶ become the righteousness of God. Then, we are to continue
pursuing righteousness (Proverbs 15:9).
I started wondering, what
does it mean to pursue righteousness? What does that look like? I ask because
there seems to be some confusion. If our righteousness can only come from
Jesus, what is there to pursue? How can we pursue something that only belongs
to Him?
It turns out (you guessed it)
the Bible details how we are supposed to pursue righteousness so we can perfect
our faith. But, first we need to know where righteousness begins.
Righteousness Belongs to
Jesus
For years, the Israelites
kept a hope alive that God would one day send someone to redeem them from sin.
Unfortunately, many of them are still waiting. But for those who have accepted
Jesus as the promised Christ, we have a new hope based in His righteousness
that covers our sin.
Our righteousness begins with
understanding that we are not pleasing to God because of our sin. Isaiah 64: 6
says,
“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all
our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”
We are not worthy to stand in
God’s presence. His holiness and perfection cannot
tolerate sin, plain and simple. Our incurable sin nature requires a Redeemer
who can justify us and cover our sin with holy righteousness so that the Father
will accept us. Jesus is our Redeemer and the only one who can do this.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that
we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“The Lord is our righteousness.”
Jeremiah 23:6
Jesus freely offers us
justification and His righteousness when we experience His saving grace.
Without Jesus, God cannot accept us. We are still filthy rags. So, it’s
important to receive Jesus’ righteousness. After
then, it’s up to us to keep working it by desiring holiness
above all else and pursuing a Christ-like character.
Pursuing righteousness means
we become a “work in progress.”
It’s perfected over time through our obedience to Him,
and it slowly reveals itself as evidence of our faith. We work at it every day
with the goal of seeing its true perfection one beautiful day when we see Jesus
in person.
Growing Closer to Him
We can’t
pursue righteousness alone. We need the Lord’s
help. Here are five everyday ways you and the Lord can work out your
righteousness so you grow closer in your relationship.
Seek His Presence
Working out, whether
spiritually or physically, requires showing up. Not showing up means nothing
gets done, which is why we need to seek the Lord’s
presence every day. Reading His words and spending time talking to Him are
basic ways to pursue righteousness. You’ve
been told this advice countless times, no doubt, but it bears repeating if we
are serious about growing closer to Him
Walk in the Spirit
In Galatians 5:22–23,
the apostle Paul details the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Holy Spirit
guides and convicts us to practice these attributes every day so we bear good
fruit (do what is good for us and those around us) and demonstrate our pursuit
of righteousness to others.
Good fruit grows more good
fruit. Our choices affect the people around us. Walking in the Spirit not only
deepens our relationship with God, it encourages others in their pursuits too.
Don’t forget, we’re all in this
together.
Invite Wisdom
God places great value on
wisdom, so much that He wants you to specifically ask for it. Here are a few
scripture verses to consider.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10
“Are there those among you who are truly wise and
understanding? Then they should show it by living right and doing good things
with a gentleness that comes from wisdom.”
James 3:13
“I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know
where to discover knowledge and discernment.”
Proverbs 8:12
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God and He will
give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
James 1:5
It’s
not on Paul’s list of spiritual fruit, but I believe seeking godly
wisdom is evidence of righteousness. Wisdom might be useful for everyday types
of situations, but godly wisdom is on a whole other level. Godly wisdom
involves a deeper knowledge of God and His ways, a better understanding of
right and wrong, and confidence to respond to others from a place of love.
Invite wisdom into your walk
with God. Just ask Him for it. It’s there for the taking.
Be Generous
Jesus was the most generous
person to ever walk the earth. His sacrifice on the cross for us clearly shows
His giving nature. As His disciples, we too are called to be generous.
Galatians 6:10 tells us to “do
good things for all.” Jesus Himself tells us it is better to give than to
receive (Acts 20:35). And since love is the greatest fruit of the Spirit, John
tells us in 1 John 3:17, “But whoever has this
world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up
his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
John is saying we should be appropriately generous with our love.
Generosity is then not only a
requirement of our Christian walk, but it’s
also a by-product of our pursuit of righteousness. It’s
a natural outflowing of being in a relationship with Jesus.
We can be generous by
utilizing another Biblical principle- our time, talent, and treasure. Each of
us always has one of the three available for the benefit of others. Make it a
habit to daily examine what you can give to someone else to make their day
better.
Don’t
Be Short-sighted
We usually associate
short-sightedness with a lack of long-term vision. Peter talks about it another
way in 2 Peter 1:5–9:
“…Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to
knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance
godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For
if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is
short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from
his old sins.”
In many ways, Peter is
echoing what Paul wrote about the fruits of the Spirit in the book of
Galatians. He reminds us to be virtuous, knowledgeable in the Word, use
self-control, and persevere in all circumstances to produce godliness, which
all leads to evidence of God’s love within us.
Peter takes things a step
further than Paul by stating matter-of-factly that we will have forgotten our
salvation if we don’t pursue righteousness. This is what he means by
short-sightedness and implied self-righteousness, and why it’s
so important to avoid it.
Don’t
Give Up
Pursuing righteousness is an
ongoing journey. Encourage yourself daily in the Lord by keeping your eyes on
Him, reading the Word, praying and asking for wisdom, and making purposeful
efforts to walk in the Spirit. This is what Paul prays for in Philippians 1:9–11,
“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more
and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve what is
excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the
fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise
of God.”
Though God knows our
righteousness will never be perfect on this side of Heaven, He is always
pleased to see our determination. The simple act of trying and persisting
captures His attention every time. So, don’t
give up. Pursue your righteousness in the Lord remembering He blesses those who
seek Him (Lamentations 3:25).
“You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who
remembers You in Your ways.” Isaiah 64:5
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