righteousness Archives – Sonshine's Journal

September 15, 2024September 15, 2024

The Majesty of God

Psalm 104 The Lord God Almighty

When we believe that God spoke His truth through the Bible, our lives are anchored upon a solid foundation of God’s power, perspective and purpose.

Over and over the writers of scripture remind us that God is light and in Him there is no darkness. Darkness is a picture of sin and God is pure with no sin. Light reveals what darkness cannot. It reveals purity and righteousness and holiness. The psalmist reaches back into Genesis and the creation to share his thought of how holy and pure and righteous God is.

The Apostle John wrote that “Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.”[1 John 1:5] Are we proclaiming that truth to others? Are we praising God for His creation? “O Lord my God, you are magnificent.You are robed in splendor and majesty.He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.” [Ps 104:1 and 2]

March 24, 2021March 24, 2021

“The Price of Sin”

Joshua 7 to 9 Jericho had seemed a sweet victory, but unbeknown to Joshua, God was angry. Fresh from a victory, the Israelites failed to consult God about taking the next city, Ai. Looking with only their human eyes, they saw Ai as a simple takeover, unlike Jericho. Secondly, Joshua foolishly failed to consult God before sending his army into battle. Ai should have been easy; instead, they faced defeat. Returning to camp and hearing the news, Joshua took time to go before God only to hear: “Get up!” Sometimes God has to do that with us as well. We can’t see our sin lying down. We must get up and face the problem.

Even though the Israelites had heard of God’s directive of the ban on all things in Jericho, Achan had casually dismissed it. How like us. We know what God desires, but we fail to think ahead to the consequences of disobedience. Achan not only lost the treasures he stole and hid, but also the blood of his family and thirty-six men were laid to his account.

Do you dismiss sin? Do you think “God will understand?” God does not overlook sin but demands purity and righteousness. We foolishly believe our sin only affects us. Be forewarned; “be sure your sin will find you out.” [Num 32:23]

if you are facing defeat, get up, seek God’s face about your situation and let Him reveal what is truly happening.

February 19, 2021February 19, 2021

Is Holiness a Puzzle? And If so, what is the missing piece?

Leviticus 21 What does it mean to be holy in an unholy world? It means that we stand apart from that which is profane. It means that we see ourselves as saved by His grace and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It means we are to ask ourselves if we are partnering with those who do not believe. It means we are to come out from among them and be pure, which seems like a strict order as we move and live in a godless society, but so did Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Esther, Ruth, and Jesus.

So back to our question: what does it mean to be holy? It means that we are to remember that we are part of the priesthood of believers only because of the gift of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It means what God gave Aaron and the High Priest as a standard applies to us in our present age. We do it when we present Christ as His ambassadors and implore them to be reconciled to God in the same way we were. It means that we mirror Christ in our walk and talk, and we can only do that when we know God. We know His character, His motives for our holiness, His standards of purity and righteousness.

God has said over and over: you should be holy because I am holy. You are my people, and thus you stand before an unholy world. The question before us is; are we a holy separated people? Only through Jesus can we have the missing puzzle pieces of purity, righteousness, and honor.

September 15, 2015

God’s Laundry Service

Each week we drag garments that have been worn and soiled to the washer. These soiled garments are an illustration of who were before Christ’s cleansing entered us. Just as soap washes our garments, Christ’s blood washed us from the ravages of sin. The indwelling Holy Spirit rubs the stains of the old life out as He begins the process of sanctification. He is regenerating us to be a fit vessel for God’s use. The dryer and the iron accomplish their work so that we are without spot or wrinkle “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” [1Cor 6]

Garments have tags to remind us of the sins of ignoring the warning signs. Wrong soap, wrong temperature, disastrous results. God has his own tags and they are found in His word. Beware of being self-deceived. Beware of pride which says I can live anyway I like for God does not see; God does not care; it won’t happen to me. Beware of the stain of immorality; it stains the inner man permanently.

Drop into God’s laundromat—His service is free. You can leave your garments of filthy rags and he will return yours with the garments of righteousness so that you may glorify him.

Thoughts from 1Cor 6

August 23, 2015

Therefore…..Not Condemned….Romans 7

A TV series was aptly titled “As the World Turns” and so it is with those whose lives are bound up by the adversary the Devil. They live in hostility against a holy God whose “wrath…is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness,” [Rom 1]. But we who are in Christ Jesus are no longer under God’s condemnation! “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him” [Jn 3]

Beloved, we have received this sacrificial gift of redemption! Even when our adversary comes bringing a Scarlet Letter to hang about our neck to condemn us we have this truth: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We no longer need to be “afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” [Mt 10] Instead we can recite the words of Micah “I will wait for the God who delivers me..” And this why we can echo “If God is for us, who can be against us?….[we are] “convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

May 7, 2015

For What Are You Thirsting?

We are not asking about a casual thirst but a deep desperate thirst for which one must have it or will physically die. But there is another kind of thirst and that one is spiritual. It is a deep longing that only God can fill.

In John 4 we meet a woman who came every day with her waterpot to the well in Samaria. She was physical thirsty but Jesus looked beneath and saw within her a deep spiritual thirst. So when Jesus offered water that that he could give by which she would never thirst again she asked: “”Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” But the water he would offer would be living water which would quench not her physical thirst but her spiritual thirst for it will come from the living God, the Living Water.

The psalmist thirsted for God, for the living God. His too was a deep desperate thirst which only God could supply. Drinking from God’s well is the fountain of life and only from it is the soul satisfied. Those who seek the living water will be blessed for they hunger and thirst not for water but for righteousness. [Mt 5]The true Living Water that satisfies the deep heart longing became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus’ promise is that he “will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” Have you come to drink from the fountain of the Living Water today?

You can also see this post here each and every day. https://www.facebook.com/bible.org

Come and join the many who are using the tools of bible.org like the fabulous Bible Study Tool: https://lumina.bible.org/

April 24, 2015

Praying for Leaders of the Flock

As a fellow elder, Peter exhorts the elders to be shepherds of their dispersed flock. They need to be shepherds that are alert, watching over and leading the flock step by step away from the adversary the devil who is busily prowling around seeking whom he can devour. They are to be exercising their position voluntarily and doing it eagerly as well as be an example. Pray for them to be humble, sober and that they can resist the devil whose allure of the world is tossed before them.

Beloved, if ever there was a time it is now that we must be praying daily for our church leaders as they work to fulfill these huge tasks. Pray for their study time that it be quiet and undisturbed. Further the 23^rd psalm gives us ideas on how to pray:

Pray for them as they seek those green pastures where they can lead their flock to find respite from the cares of the world; to have wisdom to help the flock find the quiet waters where they can be refreshed; and pray that they know how to guide the flock in the paths of righteousness. The enemy has placed lions in the road and seeks to undermine the elder’s work and ours as well. That is why we must be interceders and in a mode of prayer for our elders and leaders of our flock.

March 10, 2015

Follow Me!

A simple old fashioned chorus has these words: “The Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I need to do is follow.” The psalmist in chapter 25 is essentially saying those words but he knows that he needs a trail guide through that wilderness and the Lord is his for he is trustworthy. He is confident that he will not be led astray yet he fears that he will bring shame upon the name of Yahweh. Thus he prays for direction, for counsel, for instruction. In vs 4 he asks much like Moses “Show me your glory.” [Exo 33:18] When we step out from our comfort zone that is what we need; to see God’s glory and all of his holiness so that we yearn more and more for our hearts to be entwined with his. We need to be taught, to know the path that we are to take, to be instructed in His ways being confident of this truth: “Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.”[ Pro 3:6]

Is there some place you feel that you need his direction? Seek His face; seek His glory, pray that the Holy Spirit be your instructor to lead you in paths of righteousness as we journey through a world that is fraught with dangers, toils and snares. Beloved, the Lord knows the way; all we need to do is follow knowing that the words of Isaiah are as relevant today as then: “You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying, “This is the correct way, walk in it,”” [Isa 30:21 ]

May 22, 2014

INTEGRITY….A WORD FOR TODAY

The dictionary defines integrity as being honest, strong moral principles and moral uprightness. In Psalm 26 King David boasted that he had walked in integrity and is walking in integrity. He had made a choice early on to choose that manner of life. It is a consistency in our actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. Interestingly, the opposite of integrity, truth and light, is hypocrisy which is a false façade of being a person with integrity but inwardly choosing the opposing forces of deception and darkness. These will be exposed as King David revealed in Psalm 26 as one views the lifestyle and associations of a person. Jesus remarked that just as a tree bears fruit so does a person and they will be known by them.

In the field of computers there is a pun known as “GIGO” which equals “garbage in garbage out.” Although technologically proficient a computer has no brain. In fact computers will unquestioningly process the most nonsensical of input data (garbage in) and produce nonsensical output (garbage out). How often do we behave in this manner? This is why Paul emphasized that we as a people of God must wisely develop a mindset. King David wrote that he loved the Law of God and meditated upon it day and night. What does your mind dwell upon? Paul gave us some parameters on which we should dwell. The first step is to measure our thoughts by using this as a yardstick: think about whatever is true, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent or praiseworthy. But, it does not end there; one must then take the next step and put into practice what you have meditated upon so that we produce fruits of righteousness.

If we want to be a people of integrity who can say that they have walked and are continuing to walk in this manner it begins in the mind. That is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians: we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ. [2Co 10:5] and to the Romans he challenged to be “transformed by the renewing of our mind.” It is then that we can like David boast that we have walked and are continuing to walk in integrity.

Today’s questions are (1) on what are you meditating and (2) where is your mindset and (3) what are you practicing?

May 14, 2014

“Checkmate?”

There is a story that has circulated about a tour group in an art gallery. After the initial description of the painting titled “Checkmate” all moved on but one man who was an expert chess player. The painting reveals a chess game between the devil and Faust who had sold his soul to the devil. It appears from the smirk on the devil’s face that he has won and is ready to announce “Checkmate!” But, after studying the painting the chess player noted that the devil had not won and the king had one more move. The enemy of our souls wants us to think that he has won and is ready to announce Checkmate but the truth is found here in Proverbs 11: The King of Kings has one more move.

As believers in Christ, the righteous want to know how to move and live in a world that seems as complicated as a chess game. But, if we study and meditate we find that the next move is found in God’s Word which is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [2Ti 3:16] The enemy would have us think he has the last move and that life is over. But God shows us what life is really all about using the characters of righteousness, truth, humility and integrity vs the characters of wicked, prideful, despair. Each of us chooses to moves in our walk of life and God has given us free will to choose. We can become His ears, hands, feet to a dying world devoid of the love of God or we can choose not His way but our way. Thirteen times in this chapter the word or a form of the word “righteous” is given as a trait that delivers one from all kinds of danger. The contrast is glaring in vs. 23 “What the righteous desire leads only to good, but what the wicked hope for leads to wrath.” Dr. Ross writes: “Since life and death result from moral choices, righteousness must be pursued. . .”

God made the first move which was to offer His Son for our salvation. Will you this day choose to follow Him? The King of Kings has one more move for you if you will choose.