What do you know? With God, when we pursue things that benefit us and please Him, we find much, much more.
But Faye, what do you mean by pursue? Webster says it means “to find or employ measures to obtain or accomplish; to engage in; to go in pursuit of.”
Other versions of the Bible say chase or earnestly seeks or craves or goes hunting for.
So, let’s consider that. If I chase after righteousness (right standing before God) and unfailing love, if I employ every measure I can get to obtain or accomplish that, I will not only get righteousness, I will get life and honor, too.
No, no. He didn’t drop the unfailing love. That’s not left off the list. It’s because of the unfailing love of our Heavenly Father that we receive these gifts. He is the One we seek.
He is love.
All love.
Perfect love.
Forever love.
Always love.
Unending, unconditional agape love.
Here’s some really good news, Believer: we don’t have to chase or seek very hard for this righteousness, but we must be cognizant of our relationship with the Almighty. If there’s separation between us, it’s not Him. It’s us, and we need to do something!
Paul wrote in his second letter to the Church at Corinth that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (5:21). Christ lifted all sin from our hearts and placed them on Him while replacing our sin with His righteousness. WHAT????
Think about that. Before you were ever a twinkle in your parents’ eyes, your sin was lifted from you and replaced with the righteousness of Jesus Himself. You only have to accept that sacrifice for you and follow the One who made it.
In 1 John 1:9, we’re taught that when we have sinned, and we will, all we have to do to be right with God again is to confess (agree with Him that what we did was wrong). He is always faithful and always just and still forgives us of the sin and makes us all squeaky-clean righteous again.
What LOVE!!!
If only we could fully grasp the fullness of it.
Let’s push toward that understanding today. Let’s strive toward righteousness. Let’s crave God and His righteousness and love more than our next breath. Let’s watch Him pour out life, righteousness, and honor on us. Then, let’s seek Him more.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
