RIGHTEOUS

 BY STEVE DUNN

The opinion that many people have of Christians is that they are self-righteous and judgmental, claiming a perfection that really is impossible to achieve.  Although there are Christians for whom that is indeed true, let me set the record straight.

To the Christian, the goal of righteousness requires a right relationship with God.  It is our heart's desire to be the person God created us to be and for whom Christ died that we could become.  People think that  righteousness comes from going to church, reading your Bible, living a squeaky clean life--but righteousness (or holiness) is a gift from God to people who choose to let God live in and through them.

Ironically, that righteousness comes from having a heart after God's own heart.  Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, used to pray this prayer: "O God, break my heart with the things that break your heart."  Christians who are truly righteous (not self-righteous) would pray this prayer daily. They would pray it not merely devotionally but out of earnest desire.

I once read that there were things required for a right relationship with God: SURRENDER, BROKENNESS, and REPENTANCE.

Righteousness comes from surrendering our lives to the will and purposes of God.  Surrender becomes really when we are broken, when we come to the end of our self pride and humbly admit our need for God.  Repentance comes from recognizing living apart from God is sin--and more than that, keeps us from lives of obedience to God Who created us and saved us.

Righteousness is not a false sense of perfection but a genuine dependence on forgiveness.  As we turn our imperfect, broken, prideful lives over to God - we finally connect with His blessing and become the blessed He has blessed us to be.  Genuine Christians pray this prayer, penned long ago by a man of incredible imperfection and public sin, King David:

"My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." - Psalm 51:17

I hope this sets the record straight.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6

Man years ago, as a younger pastor, I stood at the door of the church and soaked up the "That was a great sermon, pastor" accolades.  We all like affirmation. It is the way God wired us.  I had hit a homiletic home run and was reveling in the "atta-boys'."  

But one of my elders waited until all had passed me by and then simply said, "I perceive you are a people-pleaser."  Trust me, that's not a compliment.  Before I could defend myself he said, "You work hard on your sermons.  You really like it when people tell you they like your efforts.  But here's the problem.  On every given Sunday there is someone in your hearing who should not like your sermon. They are in sin or harboring a sinful attitude and if you are doing God's work, the truth that you speak should make them uncomfortable, feel guilty, maybe even angry. If everyone agrees with what you said, you are probably being disobedient to God as a preacher."

Ouch!

But the more I thought about, he was right.  And since then I have been very careful that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart are God's words from God's heart, not mine.  And if I speak the truth in love, then I have to accept that the truth is convicting to a person not living with God's heart.  I need to be sure my sermons please God, not the audience.

What pleases God?  Truth, obviously.  But faith in particular.

I have found that some people have a faith and others live by faith.  Some people have a set of beliefs that given them meaning, comfort, and even a sense of order.  Others live by faith -- they simply live in daily obedience to the will and purposes of God--trusting that His will is best and that He provides all things needed for those who live by His will. There is simply no other option in their minds.  They never settle for any lower expectations.

The former can often reduce one to a fairly static walk with God, that never really surrenders to His will because His will rarely is safe and comfortable.  His will takes us out on mission.  "A faith" often allows us to justify inaction because at least we believe the right things.

I think that latter is what Paul meant when he said, "The righteous will live by faith." - Romans 1:17.

Anything that doesn't lead you to pleasing God, even at the expense of displeasing men and making yourself feel uncomfortable, is not faith.

(C) 2012 by Stephen Dunn

This post originally appeared June 19, 2012 on THRIVING IN CHRIST

HERE COMES TIM HAWKINS AGAIN - THE CHICK-FILET SONG

How about a little Friday fun with Tim Hawkins.  Thank God, it's Friday.  Really... thank God!

THANKFUL IN ALL THINGS

The Bible tells me to give thanks in everything. That's not always easy. There are some things I am more thankful than others - like good health, a caring church, a loving wife. I certainly am more thankful for those things than asparagus or income taxes or the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On a very human level thankfulness is not always a prerequisite to necessity. My mother used to try guilting me into eating food that I found distasteful. "Think of all the starving children in Bangladesh." Initially, I tried not thinking of them at all, "Name one!" I'd declare defiantly. Then when she got a missionary visitng our home to actually name several dozens Bangladeshis, I resorted to "Then let's send it to them."

The fact of the matter is that I needed to eat--and to eat healthily. Being thankful that I COULD so did not impress my unregenerate little heart. There were some things that I refused to be thankful for. I still had to eat them.

But the ability to be thankful for all things is actually the mark of a person who has a new heart and new mind because of their encounter with Jesus Christ. When we realize that God's gift comes to us even when we do not deserve it, we begin to think that thankfulness comes because we have a life at all--and because we are blessed even before we understand the necessity of the blessing. When someone loves even before we love ourselves, and cares for us even when we care only about ourselves--we have been given a reason for thankfulness that is inescapable.

MY LIFE VERSE

"And in all things God works for the good of those who love the Lord, who are called according to His purpose." - Roman 8:28

Not all things are good ... but God works for the good in ALL THINGS.

God WORKS ... He doesn't sit back disinterestedly, leaving everything up to us.

God has a PURPOSE for us out of His love and we work according to the purpose out of our love for Him.

REFLECTING ON TRUE TALENT

NOTE FROM STEVE: I write three blogs, this being my general public blog. Today I am reprinting a piece from my devotional blog THRIVING IN CHRIST.


"Humble yourself in the eyes of the Lord, and in due time He will lift you up."
- 1 Peter 5:6

One of my favorite shows, AMERICA'S GOT TALENT, had its finale last night. There were five finalists: Voices of Glory, The Texas Tenors, Recycled Percussion, Barbara Padilla, and Kevin Skinner. Voices of Glory were a family of three African American kids who got their start singing for a seriously ill mother who was in a coma. Their voices and love brought healing to their mom, who was present that night. The Texas Tenors were three brothers who got together less than a year ago and began singing in part to honor their father. Recycled Percussion were bunch of crazies from a small town in New Hampshire--and they repeatedly shared the message, "Kids of America, you should not let small beginnings stop you from following your dreams." Barbara Padilla was a mother who survived cancer, went back to get her Masters degree in music, and sang out of a heart of faith to encourage other cancer survivors to never give up. Kevin Skinner was an out-of-work chicken catcher (you heard me right)who used his down time to sing and to spend time with his family, who were always a centerpiece in his life.

What impressed me was not simply the talent--incredible talent ... Barbara was a classical opera singer who will soon travel the world ... Kevin was a country singer whose voice astounded us with its heart and clarity ... what impressed me was the humility of each of these finalists. They didn't start out polished. A dream moved them but not a greedy ambition. They were supportive of one another. They were grateful for their opportunity. But most of all, they exhibited an incredible humility that never seemed to leave them. The two ultimate finalists - Barbara and Kevin seemed genuinely stunned by their success, and were filled with tears of joy.
No fist pumps, high fives, not a touch of arrogance. HUMILITY.

In a world of self-promotion, self-serving manipulation, celebrity arrogance, hard core drive for success ... genuine humility is both refreshing and itself a powerful lesson.

By the way, country won out over classics. Kevin Skinner was the winner of a contest that originally had 110,000 contestants.

RAINY MORNINGS

It is raining this morning. Pretty miserable. The rain has washed out my Friday morning golf round with some good friends. My alternative plan for today would have been yard work. Plan B is now highly unlikely. Plan C is to work on household finances. My inclination is to go to Plan D-curling up on the couch and reading a good book.

Rainy mornings often bring to mind a verse from the Bible. "The rain falls on the just and the unjust." In the arid climate of the Middle East where that word was first spoken, rain was something vital. Without rain, the crops did not grow. Without crops there was famine and poverty and hunger. Be rainless long enough there was death and extinction. Rain was considered one of the Creator God's most significant blessings.

Yet rain was not reserved for just those with whom God was pleased. That really was a pagan concept. The Hebrews understood that such a concept was too simplistic and perhaps even too materialistic. God was the sustainer God. He provided life to ALL.
Sometimes He withheld rain to make a point, to get their attention, to call them to repentance but was primarily a message to the people who at least CLAIMED that He was their God.

It was also a message that we should not assume that material blessings were the ultimate sign of God's favor. The farms of evil men were nourished by God as well as those of the devout. God's blessings are not limited to the material--like wealth and good health. For those who truly believe that God is the one to whom they entrust their lives, you learn to look beyond such things. You look the peace that comes from a clear conscience, the self-respect that comes from godly character, the blessing that comes from good deeds done anonymously. And the ultimate blessing ... that a life lived for God continues -- beyond death, to the eternal joy of living in His loving presence.

IS IT WORTH IT?

In my morning devotions Wednesday, I came across a great verse in 1 Corinthians 15. The way it is expressed in The New Living Translation I find particularly helpful. "So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." (1 Corinthians 15.58)

"Nothing we do for the Lord is ever useless." What a reassuring promise! So often we labor and wonder if our efforts are worth the effort. Or what we do appears unnoticed and under-appreciated. The Lord sees and knows and heaven applauds our faithfulness and heart.

A VERSE FOR YOU

Philippians 4.13, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." What does this verse mean to you. Let's start a discussion. Tomorrow I'll tell you what it means to me.