Monday, December 12, 2011

The Path to Being Righteous

Day three hundred forty-six

This morning I thanked the Lord for all the blessings in my life and asked Him to bless me with opportunities to be a blessing for others.  I am hoping that as I am out and about today that I will be mindful of those around me and take the time to serve them.  I am trying to focus less on me and more on others in hopes of sharing the spirit of Christmas. 

Psalm 1
There are many rungs on the ladder of success: wealth, power, position, prestige, etc.  However, measuring your spiritual success and your success as a Christian is a little more difficult. Often, there is little tangible, visible evidence, which you can put your hands on to prove you are living a successful Christian life. Generally, success for a Christian is more internal than external. What I mean by that is this is, the small amount of external evidence we produce is the result of much internal activity in our hearts and lives. That is why it is difficult for God’s children, who live in a materialistic world, to gauge their success in their walk with God. 

Thankfully Psalm 1 exists. In it we find insight into what is required for a Christian to be considered a success.  It's one tool we can use to measure how well we are doing on our path to righteousness. 

Verse 1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful"

The righteous Christian is separated in their walk of life.  They don’t believe like the wicked. They don't listen to their counsel and invitations to evil. Their hearing is turned a little higher!  The righteous Christian realizes that there is a vast difference between themselves and the world, and they live accordingly!

Verse 2  "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

The righteous are genuinely and completely in love with the word of God.  The scriptures have captured their full attention.  They know that the scriptures aren't books of fables, myths and legends. To the child of God it is the filled with truth. They love it and they live it, finding in its pages all they need to grow and prosper for their Lord.

Verse 3  "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Notice the position – by the river! Always close to the life giving resources. This would have been particularly meaningful to Israel with her mostly arid conditions. The tree planted by the river is never dry and wilted, but is green, lush and lovely. The Christian who lives close to God will never be dry and wilted either. They will be vibrant, lively and productive. It is easily seen when a person draws from the Lord.

I like the word "planted." Unlike some plants, which live for a season and die out, this tree, has sunk its roots deep into the source of life. And it "brings forth fruit." The righteous Christian is a blessing to all those around them.

"In his season." This tree isn’t a freak. Just as there are seasons of fruit bearing, so there are times of rest and growth. As Christians, we aren’t to worry over the fruit, that is the Lord's business! When everything else is as it should be, then the fruit will come in its season.

"leaf shall not wither" – The righteous Christian is like an evergreen. They are always surrounded by the green of life. In the wintertime the hardwoods and leafy trees look dead, but the evergreens stand out as islands of life in a sea of deadness. They are unaffected by winter or weather, they are always the same. The righteous Christian is consistent.

"Whatsoever he doeth, it shall prosper" – In other words, God will bless the righteous Christian. Their personal life, family life, business life, church life, and spiritual life will all be blessed by the Lord. That isn’t to say that there won’t be stormy seas, but the righteous will be able to endure them and prosper as they go through them!

Verse 6  "For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous."

The righteous have the knowledge that the Lord knows them.  He knows what is required to be righteous and He knows what is needed in each life to help us achieve it.  The righteous allow Him to work in their lives so that they might grow in their relationship with Him.  

The big question now is, "How are we doing on the path to being righteous?" As Christians each of us is headed towards one goal, to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ once again.  However, the path that we take to get there is unique and personalized just for us.  The same basic principles of faith, repentance, baptism, and confirmation need to be in our journey, but the when and where is not always the same. We are all at different levels of righteousness, so don't feel too bad if you find yourself lacking in any of the characteristics of the righteous.  My study of this psalm pointed out a few areas I need to work on myself.  The best thing is that the Lord knows my heart and my desire to be more righteous and He will put those things in my life to help me.  He will do the same for you. 

No comments:

Post a Comment