Skip to main content

Right vs. Righteous

Mark 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Jesus' words are so simple, yet I believe we as humans struggle with the this.  I find that the majority of the time, I can put myself in someone else's shoes and understand where he/she might be coming from. However, I definitely have moments when I want to be right and forget that my calling is to be righteous.  At those times, love for my neighbor kind of goes out the window.  I have found that the moment I start arguing my position in order to be right, I become spiritually ugly and do not help others to see Jesus at all nor do they feel God's love.  In order to be righteous, one must be selfless.  As a fallen human, this is contrary to my earthly nature, selfishness.  Therein lies the need for Jesus.  That change of my very nature comes into play again, just like with the fruit of the Spirit.  In order to become selfless, I must have the one who was the perfect example of a selfless life, Jesus, living in me.  If I am selfless, following this simple command to 'love my neighbor as myself' will be no problem at all.  When I allow Jesus to work in me and make me selfless, righteousness is found and others see Jesus and feel the love of God.  In some moments being righteous means just being quiet, even when you know you're right.  Boy is that hard to do!  But if Jesus could show righteousness through his silence on the cross, then we have no excuse for our lack of silence at anytime.  Thankfully it's God's job to change the hearts and minds of people, not ours.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Signs of His Work

Joshua 4:6 to serve as a sign among you.  In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' I realize this is a very fragmented verse, but go with it.  This got me to thinking.  What are the stones in my life that serve as signs of God's work in my life?  I am not a big fan of material items because I don't really care about stuff.  It's just that, stuff.  So, I've had to think a little harder about this.  The obvious sign of God's current work is the tennis bracelet I wear in memory of Mom.  Other obvious signs that might include my Bible, Dalton's grandmother's wedding ring, and my wedding ring.  However, if I think of the things in my life that are the most evident of God's work, it would be the stories of the different journeys God and I have been on together.  The story of how I got my current job and the multitude of "God things" that surrounded that moment.  The story of a college friend telling me, "...
Post a Comment
Read more

Channels Only

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. Our treasure is the Spirit of God and the jar of clay is our earthly body.  In this section of scripture Paul is explaining to the people of Corinth that they are a channel for God to shine through and that through Jesus we will never be separated from God again.  At the hospice house, Liz, my sister, sat down and played Channels Only on the piano.  This is a song that has deep and lasting meaning for my family, but today I instantly thought of my mother lying in the bed in the next room and felt the truth in the words of that song.  Tears began to stream as I recognized to the fullest extent what it means to be a channel for God.  It is my prayer. Channels Only by Mary E. Maxwell How I praise Thee, precious Savior, That Thy love laid hold of me; Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me  That I might Thy channel be. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Freedom Reigns

Genesis 3:8 The the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. The captivity of Satan in this moment really struck me today.  After eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve become captives of Satan.  They lose focus on God and His providence and begin to take over their own lives, right then and there.  Their peace is completely taken from them.  When God comes to the garden, they hide themselves from Him, not because they are naked, they've covered themselves, but because they are captives.  They cannot even begin to think about being in the presence of God because they have been bound by the evil one.  Thankfully, the story of humanity doesn't end there.  When Jesus comes, He sets mankind free from Satan's captivity.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior allowing Him to heal our wounds, we b...
Post a Comment
Read more