A Life Worthy

Tag: righteousness

  • One-a-Day Monday 9/8/14

    number 1Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness… (James 3:18).

    You know, for a long time I’ve been reading this verse wrong.

    I thought it said, “Peacemakers who sow peace…”  I figured it was a, “You reap what you sow,” kind of passage.  But that’s not what it says in my Bible.  It says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace…”

    So what does that mean?

    Well, first of all, James is talking to those who are peacemakers, dedicating themselves to bringing peace between Man and Man as well as between Man and God.  Does that description fit you?

    Something to chew on, ya?

    Then James says that they are sowing in peace.  They are not stressed.  They are not striving.  They’re just planting seeds.  I’m not a farmer, but I’ve done a little gardening, and I’ve learned a thing or two.

    Thing One: There’s a lot you can do to ensure a good harvest.

    Thing Two: There’s a lot you can’t.

    Gardening is a lot like farming which is a lot like our spiritual lives.  You prepare the soil, plant good seed, water well, guard against weeds and critters, and trust God for the rest.  If you realize that the harvest is not on your shoulders, that God is ultimately in control of what grows, then you can be at peace, doing your best and trusting God for the outcome.

    I’m not saying it’s easy…I’m just saying it is.

    So, once again, it all comes back to trusting God. You can no more create spiritual fruit than you can force rutabagas to appear.

    Not that you would want to.

    You may have noticed that wherever I start with one of these devotions, I end up in the same place—trust God.

    I guess I’m kind of a one-trick pony.

    Sow in peace, Beloved.  He’s got the harvest covered.

  • One-a-Day Friday, 11/22/13

    number 1For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1:6)

    It’s a promise.

    It’s a warning.

    Take it as such.

    I’m not going to clutter this up with commentary…just chew on it as you head into your Friday.

    Happy weekend.

  • One-a-Day Monday 11/11/13

    …with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (Eph. 6:14b)

    The breastplate is essential protective gear.  Cops wear a Kevlar vest.  Baseball catchers wear a chest protector.  Even Batman has anatomically correct upper body armor.  Why is it so important to protect the chest?

    Because your heart is there.

    In a very literal sense, you can’t live without your heart—so eat right and get plenty of exercise.  In the metaphoric sense, the heart is the center of our being, the part of us that makes us…us.  As you go out into a sinful, broken, fallen world, how do you protect this essential part of your being?

    The righteousness of Christ.  The right relationship with God that is yours through Christ, and which gives you a right understanding of who you are and how much you are loved.  This, and this alone, will protect your heart from the blows of this twisted world.

    Remember, I’m not talking about your own righteousness…the place with God you might think you’ve earned by your good behavior.  Count on that to protect your heart, and you might as well try to stop an arrow with a wet paper towel.

    How can this mighty piece of armor fit your spindly little self?

    It’s a mystery…just go with it.