July 7

“Christ is the end of all our self-efforts after righteousness, not ‘at the end’, as I used to think, but the actual ending of them....the life of Christ in our souls makes righteousness take possession of us.  We are controlled from within and not from without.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, Daily Secrets, 7/5

I don’t think people realize how important it is to understand this.  I didn’t for years even though I knew it is by the Holy Spirit that we are changed and not by self-effort.  What I didn’t understand was that I am made righteous instantly.  Yes, my behavior may continue to look sinful because of the choices I make that cater to the “old man”.  However, because of Christ in me, I am now already perfect in God’s eyes.  It’s this knowledge that should spur me to stop grieving the Holy Spirit and choose instead to be true to the “new creature” in me.  Because I believed perfection was something I was supposed to work toward until I got to heaven I continued to strive to be perfect.  This fed my need to please people so they would confirm for me that I was “looking good” on the outside at least.  If I didn’t get this confirmation, however, after all my effort, it would lead me into sin in my heart towards people.  It also kept my focus on my self constantly.  Now, when this need to please presents itself I am reminded that God is the only One I should be pleasing.  I am already made perfect so I don’t need to depend on others for my self-worth.

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust...You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:44,45,48

July 1

“Our freedom in Christ is not freedom to do what we want.  It is freedom to live righteously, something we could not do when we were in bondage to sin.”  H. Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, 7/1

Blackaby talks about being a slave of righteousness and not a slave of sin.  It made me realize that we must be a slave to something---that is our nature.  I don’t know a person in the world who isn’t a slave in some way.  Even those people who might insist they will not bow down to anyone or anything will be a slave to their appetites--whether physical or mental.  Our ego is perhaps our worst master for it continually gets us into trouble!  Now that I think about it I would say that the “New Age Movement” is man’s attempt to no longer be a slave to anything.  It’s man’s desire to be his own master--to be divine in his own right.  Unfortunately, these dear people will find out the hard way that there is a God who is our Creator and who demands justice.  But He is also a loving Father who has not only provided a way for us to no longer be slaves of sin, but who also enables us to be slaves of righteousness. 

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee.  Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance, who exult in thy name all the day, and extol thy righteousness.”  Psalm 89:14-16

June 6

“We must set aside our own wisdom and righteousness in order that Christ may be made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification for us.  Thus if I want righteousness of any kind I must not try to lay up a store of it within myself, but must draw my supplies of righteousness, moment by moment, from the Lord.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, Daily Secrets,6/6

Lord, if someone had sat me down and looked me in the eye when I was yet a child and said these words to me, would it have made a difference?  Would I have been saved from a life of trying to be perfect?  Or would I have dismissed their wisdom as pie-in-the-sky unobtainable?  Would it have been so foreign to me that I would have thought them misdirected or even crazy?  Or would I, in my stubbornness, just have refused the idea because then I couldn’t be Lord of my own life?  But what about now?  Now I know better yet I find excuses to hang on to my own righteousness, my own wisdom.  After all, I’ve spent a lifetime acquiring it!!  I’m sitting here thinking about the clutter in my basement and attic---out with the old, in with the new is what is running through my mind.  I can never have room for the new if I hang on to the old.  I guess it’s that in-between period where there might be emptiness--the unknown--that keeps me from doing it.  We’ve been giving a lot of our old belongings to our son for his new house.  It feels good to put it to use while acquiring newly freed-up space in my home.  Is that what I need to do, Lord, with my old way of life?  Chalk it up to experience that has brought me to today?  In Your economy nothing is wasted.

“So also David pronounces a blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works.” Romans 4:6

April 8

“And this is the strong point on which I have founded myself:  God did not die for us merely to appease himself, but to appease our consciences and to make us know His love.  I believe the atonement means at-one-ment.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, Safe Within Your Love, pg. 156

This appeasing of our consciences is something people seem to overlook in my estimation.  I think that when our emotions have overrun us it’s because they are coming directly from our consciences bypassing the reasoning part of our brains altogether.  We aren’t aware of this at the time, of course, and often later do not care to “revisit” the event because we don’t want to “revisit” the emotional turmoil.  The cycle then becomes a way of life that then gets labeled “normal”.  But Christ said He came to save us from our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.  This cleansing begins in our consciences.  It is there we are made right so that we can now do right.  If our consciences continue to condemn us, we are still lost because we have yet to trust Christ with our whole being and He cannot do His work in us.  

“For Christ also died for sins once for all....that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;.....in the days of Noah...were saved through water.  Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.”  1 Peter 3:18-22

February 12

“It is a dangerous thing to live your life without a spiritual “plumb line,” or standard, by which you determine right from wrong.  God’s Word is that plumb line.  Spiritual laws, like physical laws, are meant to protect you, not restrict you.”  H. Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, 2/12

Trying to live life without God’s “plumb line” is like trying to hang wallpaper in a crooked room.  “Eyeballing” it just doesn’t get the job done if what you’re comparing it to is out of whack. 

I don’t think anyone would say our world is “in whack”, would you?  Yet, most of us continue to compare our lives to how the world is doing and feel we’re not doing half bad--so that’s good enough.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that if you calculate the first measurement wrong by just a fraction and continue to calculate the next thing in a “close enough” manner by the time you get down the line the calculation is going to be way off.  Yet we humans continue to live life this way!  We were created by a masterful God who knows us like we can never know ourselves.  I’d much rather live by my Designer’s instructions than by any I may make up for myself.

“For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.  Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well;”  Psalm 139:13, 14

January 31

“(Jesus) wants to give rest to everyone in the world.  But the way to enter into that rest is by the way of meekness.  The really meek person does not have to be proven right.  He is willing to be made right.”  Eugenia Price, S.P.S., 1/31

Oh, to BE right.  Isn’t that the goal of every person’s flesh?  The lengths we will go to have that proven is what’s wrong with our world I dare say.  What is so glorious about the Good News is that we are MADE right, and we don’t have to lift a finger to prove it!   I really don’t have to say anymore about freedom in Christ for I’m sure anybody reading this knows what I’m talking about.  And if not, I know the wheels have started to turn because your appetite for this “rightness” has been whetted by God and He won’t leave you until you have it.

“And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”  Philippians 1:6

January 11

“But one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.”  Proverbs 11:18b

Henry Blackaby in his devotional on sowing seeds of righteousness asks this question:  “How are you cultivating righteousness in your relationships so that you maintain your integrity?”   Always in the past when I thought about righteousness it was always about appearance--do I look like I’m doing the right thing--not necessarily was I doing the right thing.  All that mattered was that I muster up obedience to love my neighbor.  However, doing the right thing often depended on the circumstances or the people involved.  When I couldn’t overcome these obstacles I felt a failure.  It never occurred to me that maintaining my integrity was a necessary part of righteousness.  The dictionary definition of integrity is “undivided”, “honesty”.  I can see now that putting up a facade of righteousness divided me and this dishonesty was not the proper seedbed in which to grow righteousness.  We must come to God an open book not only to Him but also to ourselves.  If we continue to lie to ourselves about what’s really in our hearts our soil is contaminated--the seed will not germinate.  But if we lay ourselves bare before God (confession) and repent (agree with God we don’t want to be this way anymore), He then can begin our transformation.  The fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control--will begin to ripen and produce luscious fruit, not only for our sake, but as a blessing to others.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”  Matthew 6:33