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| New Take On Bible Words -- #1 Righteousness |
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6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
I've read the Bible for years and every now and then I will receive a flash of insight about a Bible word. From that point on, I see that particular word in a new way. One such word is righteousness.
When I used to see the words righteous or righteousness, I always thought that they meant some sort of condition or state that was put on me because of Christ -- that I was declared righteous before God and that it had nothing to do with my behavior.
However, there is a problem with that being our only concept of righteousness because, how can we seek something we already have? Righteousness has to be more than just our condition before God.
One day it dawned on me that righteousness isn't really a religious word, but a practical word. It means "the lifestyle (or condition) of living right." Righteousness is right living. We are to seek God's lifestyle of correct living.
When Christ makes us righteous, He makes us right livers. An angel told Joseph that Jesus would "save His people from their sins." That is what righteous means, being saved from our sins in a practical way so that we no longer follow sin, but we do what is right.
Right living -- that is something we can all seek. It doesn't come naturally. Every day I have to seek to live right. It is a fight and a struggle, but as the years go by, God helps me to conform my life more and more to His right living.
"The kingdom of God is not meat or drink, but right living, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." Is your first priority to seek His right living in your daily life?
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| To add a comment to "New Take On Bible Words -- #1 Righteousness" |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Amen Yes GODs way of living and thinking. good blog 2m Steve |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Good point, Charlie. Right living also involves right thinking. |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Praise Yah! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| YES it is my first priority everyday. What i understand is that everytime He touches me to wake me up, my answer is yes to whatever His will is, even if i don't understand it. |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| I like that righteous= right living. |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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You know, like you, I didn't think of that, it was there, in the back of my mind, especially of late. Great blog, my friend.
Be forever blessed,
Rev. Laura A. Neff
The Rainbow Minister |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Thomas, Sheree, racunpoodle, & Rainbow Minister:
Thanks for reading and for encouraging me along in the fight to do right. |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Amen brother, The truth shall set you free. |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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| "When Christ makes us righteous, He makes us right livers." Very nicely put! |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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| Yes. Being a Christian isn't just drifting along passively. It's being obedient to Jesus in a practical way. The powers of the enemy and our own sinful nature try to stop us, but when we choose for God, he gives grace to do what is right. This is a choice we have to make every day. |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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Brother Steve, You have (rightly divided) the "living written WORD", by putting wisdom to pen. I also love the responses.
Shalom to you my brother |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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Michael: Indeed, spiritual insights are very powerful.
Grant: Somehow it sounds even better when you wrote it.
Ase: Obedience is a key to real Christianity.
ihsallthetime: Amen. There have been some very good responses. |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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| One of my favorite things you said is how we will get better at right living as we go along. :) Now that is HOPE for all who struggle with feeling like they'll never get it right! |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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If I may say Steve this is one of if not the best blog entries you have written, 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
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| December 10, 2008 |
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Amen, GrammyB. That is God's plan for us and it is called sanctification.
Jimmy: Thank you very much. " . . . it was counted unto him for right living." |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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| Amen Steve!! |
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| December 12, 2008 |
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You are so right on. God wants us to walk in righteousness,
I like right thinking also, for if we seek after Gods way of doing things,
we will think and do what is right!
Amen.
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| December 12, 2008 |
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| I like your phrase, "seek after God's way of doing things," Cece. That is what we are all called to do! |
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| December 12, 2008 |
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Praise the Lord Steve, You saw it!
I heard that preached on T.V. one time so I can't take the credit,
but it is{ Gods way of doing things} that we strive for, God bless. |
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| December 12, 2008 |
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I honestly do not mean to sound rude, but there's been a question that I've always had: Why is it that the Divine Presence is personalized in a masculine form? I understand it's in the bible and that traditionalism has brought many to use God as a "He". However, it still makes no sense for God to be masculine when perhaps God has no gender whatsoever. It really brings out the form of male domesticity or supremecy, because of course, all the way from B.C. and present-day, males are the dominant in the human race, but, why put such a label on such a Presence? |
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| December 13, 2008 |
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| Vermicide: I don't know, but knowing the character of God, I am sure it has nothing to do with prejudice. |
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| December 15, 2008 |
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| Thank you my friend, for inspiring this hungy sheep, I love to eat spiritual food, and God is feeding me thru you. I also know that God doesn't give us overcoming life, He gives us life as we overcome, by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of His testimony. Be ye holy for I am holy, and go and sin no more are some things that are difficult to follow but with God all things are possible. |
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| December 15, 2008 |
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Jesus is righteousness. Our righteousness state that God views us in is all because of the cross. People before Christianity began, the Jews were forced to attempt a righteous life. They all failed. Paul warned the galatians saying who has bewitched you that you started your walk by Grace and now turn to the law?
Jesus said he is the Vine. We as born again believers, Jew and Gentile alike are all grafted in. Weare all called to abide in him. Abiding does not mean to seek "right way of living". It means to choose to allow Jesus to live through you. In him we can do all things. Trying to live for him, we will always fail miserably over time.
WWJD is a dallacy. Instead it is all about What Jesus did and the great freedoms found in allowing him to live through you. The greatest example is Paul who went on to say, It is no longer I that live, but rather Christ living through me.
WOW, think about that. No pressure to perform or be good. Something that causes burnout because its in your own conjured up effort. Its Jesus living through you.
Jesus said he never did anything... the miracles etc or the words he spoke. He could have indeed said all of those and performed all the miracles. But he was the consumate abider.He set the example.
Here are his words that back that up taken from a exert from Grace Rules by Steven McVey:
Jesus repeatedly asserted that His behavior did not flow from Himself. He did nothing independent of His Father....nothing. Consider Jesus' words in the following examples taken from the gospel of John:
* I can do nothing on My own initiative ....John 5:30
*My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me....John 7:16
* I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me.......John 8:28
* I have not even come on My own initiative, but He who sent me.... John 8:42
* I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given me commandment, what to say and what to speak.....John 12:49
Do you get the picture? Jesus lived as a normal man who was totally helpless apart from the divine enablement of his Father. He chose at every moment to live in total dependence on His heavenly Father.
* Jesus always had the power, but he chose to let his Father live through him.
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