Monthly word: August 2016

This verse expresses one of the deepest longings God’s hearts; that righteousness should flood the earth. In the days of Noah, God had seen the wickedness of man and it caused Him to regret having created man. God had expected and hoped for a world where righteousness was the normal order of things, but how different the world had become after sin had entered. But God had never abandoned His standards, continued to work towards the day that He could pour down righteousness. And this cry is for an outpouring of righteousness, not just in small doses, but an overflowing abundance where righteousness floods in every area of our lives and makes everything right!

We know that the Lord imputes, or counts people, righteous according to their faith in Him, but His desire is to do so much more; to see us live out righteousness in all areas of our lives.

And what does righteousness mean? It is really quite simple; that we are right in our dealings with others! Righteous in dealing with those close to you; your spouse or children; faithful to your spouse and honest with your children. Righteous in dealing with your employer or subordinate; working hard, not making up excuses for being late. Righteous in dealing with the authorities, whether the police, or customs, or tax inspectors, etc. Righteous with shops and others that supply things to us; not sneaking tram rides without paying. And most importantly, righteous in our dealings with God; there are no other idols or gods in our lives, and that we dedicated to Him.

There is a cost to righteousness! We have to turn from sin and be willing to give it up, but if we do, then the Holy Spirit will lead us day by day in righteousness. There is another aspect of righteousness that has a cost. While we are expected to be righteous with others, there is no guarantee that others will be righteous with us! But this must not stop us being righteous in our dealings with those that take advantage of us. Do you think that God stops being righteous with others who mistreat Him? Of course not!