4. WALKING RIGHT

​THIS SERIES: WHEN IT'S GOOD TO CHANGE YOUR MIND: A LOOK AT PSALM 23

What is righteousness?

We often view it in terms of negatives; I shall not … lose my temper… gossip… fiddle my tax bills… swear… eat too much… boast about my achievements…

Alternatively, we see it as a list of things we should do… get up early for a quiet time… read the bible every day… exercise… visit Auntie once a week... have a spotless home… go to church every Sunday… help at the soup kitchen… be a super-dad…

Righteousness, as illustrated in Israel’s history, was most often seen this way. The teachers of the Torah, the Mosaic Law, were so anxious to prevent transgression that they spent their lives defining and interpreting these laws, hedging them about with extra rules, so no one could be in any doubt.
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The trouble is, like the Israelites of old, we just can’t do it—some of it for some of the time, perhaps, but not all of it, for all of the time—and our lives are strewn with our failures.
There must be a better way!

'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord,
'That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.'
[Jeremiah 23:6 NKJV]

Remember the old chorus?
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He is all my righteousness
I stand complete in Him and worship Christ, the Lord.
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RIGHTEOUSNESS IS A PERSON

​Jesus came to set us free from the struggle to be righteous through our own efforts. Jesus is righteousness personified, it is who He is. He died so that by identifying with Him in His death, the inner inclination to sin in us could be destroyed. He rose again so that we could rise up with Him to become new creations, and He ascended into heaven in order to send His Holy Spirit to fill us with His life. Righteousness isn’t being like Jesus, it’s allowing Jesus to live His life in us, to express His righteousness through us. Amazingly, Jesus, the Righteous One lives in you and me!

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man,
how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace
and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
[Romans 5:17]
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Our belief systems have a powerful effect on how we live. How we see ourselves is expressed in how we behave. If we see ourselves as  miserable sinners, we will constantly battle with sin; if, however, we believe we are new creations, and the Righteous One lives in us, then we will see evidence of His life flowing out through us. (Not perfectly perhaps, because this transformation is a process—but a whole lot more productive than trying to obey an external list of dos and don’ts.) And on those occasions when we fail to let that righteousness well up from within, we have an advocate with the Father, and the promise of forgiveness… [1 John 1:9; 2:1,2].

This righteousness not only comes from Holy Spirit ability, it also involves His leading—it comes from a relationship, not a rule book. It comes from our response to the still, small voice and our willingness to trust and obey.

We are called to walk in righteousness for His Name’s sake.  Everything that God is is expressed in His Name. What if our one desire was that the Lord’s fame might be broadcast in the earth? What if our one purpose was to let Jesus overflow into the details of our lives; to be the means by which His character, His ministry, and His beauty is revealed to a needy world?
We have seen that our words hold the power of life and death, week 1 of this series: 'When it's Good to Change your Mind'), so...

...(let's) be made new in the attitude of (our) minds; and.... put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness
[Ephesians 4:24]
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​and declare these Bible-truths over ourselves:

• I have received the gift of righteousness
• The Lord is my righteousness, and He lives in me
• I am righteous because the Lord says that I am
• I am reigning in life because the Lord of life lives in me
• The Holy Spirit always guides me on good paths
• God works in me both to desire and to do His will
• I am called to bring honour to the Lord's name
• If I confess my sins, He will forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness
• The blood of Jesus covers my shortfall

You can read more on this topic on The Gift of Righteousness page, or explore the Blessing of His Righteousness  in 30 bite-sized chunks.
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THIS WEEK’S GRACE RHYTHM

Where do you feel you are falling short? Spend some time quietly with the Lord, receiving His forgiveness and cleansing. Let Him take the burden from you, and receive His gift of righteousness. It's free--you can never earn it, or deserve it; it was bought for you by His perfect sacrifice. Then give Him your worship...

NEXT WEEK: WHEN LIFE IS DIFFICULT
We all experience time in the ‘shadows’. Sometimes these are merely minor irritations, but at other times they are the stuff of nightmares…

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​​[Photo credits: Miriam (Matthew 11:28); Aaron Burdon (notepad) @ Unsplash, with thanks;
​and my apologies to the owner of the Matterhorn photo--I have mislaid your details, but thank you anyway]