Last night during our cell group of Christian friends, we had a brief discussion on righteousness and self-righteousness. I shared with the group that the less self-righteous I become the more I realize how much I don’t know and in turn this creates a yearning for me to obtain “God-righteousness.”
Isaiah writes in chapter 32, verse 17; “And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.” Righteous is defined by Webster as…”Acting in accord with divine or moral law.” Today I yearn for righteousness, I yearn for the ability to act in accordance with God’s laws and try real hard to stay away from “Jay’s law.” The reason for this is because I love peace…I am an ex-addict and us addicts love peace! To be able to have peace among the severest of storms is something righteous living brings.
This is such a contrast to my self-righteous days. Self-righteous as defined by Webster…”Convinced of one’s own righteousness.” Self righteousness entails having a closed mind and thinking “it is my-way or the highway.” I can remember my mom calling me Mr. Know-It-All when I was growing up. I was so good at convincing myself that I was right and often tried to convince others…even when I was wrong. Eventually I found that being convinced of my own righteousness was very dangerous for me, while on the other hand, having a yearning for God’s righteousness is very peaceful for me.
It is amazing how my Christian walk has taken me farther and farther from being self righteous and closer and closer to being righteous. I’m not there yet (my wife will verify that) and may never make it, but my life is so much more peaceful today as I try to live in accord with God’s doctrine he has set forth for us in the Bible. The key to finding righteousness is to spend time in the Word and with others who know the Word.
Where are you with self-righteousness? If you often find yourself in arguments or in controversy over “right and wrong” try replacing the time spent in arguments with time in the word or discussing the word with another Jesus follower. Eventually “self” is replaced by God-righteousness and turmoil is replaced by peace. And this is in accord with what Jesus tells us in Luke 6:27-29 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, off the other cheek also.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve still got a ways to go…
P.E.A.C.E.
