The Gates of Righteousness

"Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD. ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter. ²¹ I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation."

Psalm 118:19-21

Only those with clean hands and a pure heart will see God (Ps. 24:4).  The Law of God proves beyond any shadow of doubt that there is none good, no not one.  Solomon stated rhetorically in Proverbs 20:9, "Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"  If man's only hope for righteousness was through his own effort, he would have no hope whatsoever.  But by the grace of God, the righteousness of Christ has been imputed through faith to all those who believe.  Paul stated his fervent desire in Philippians 3:9-11 to "...be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."

Jesus Christ has been revealed as the Gate of Righteousness, the Way, the Door through whom man is invited to enter and receive eternal life.  The Psalmist wrote, "Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD."  God has opened the gates.  God has made a way of salvation, and our response should be eternal praise for God's glory.  As important as it is to receive Christ's righteousness imputed through faith, it is imperative we walk in it.  God did not make us righteous only so we could be granted entrance to heaven.  When we decide to walk through the Gate of Righteousness, the implication is we will also are choosing to continually walk in the path of righteousness.

Every day we remain on this earth we face the choice of walking in righteousness or seeking to satisfy self.  Peter wrote of Christ being our righteous example in 1 Peter 2:22-25:  "...who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth"; ²³ who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. ²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."  Those lives of those who have received of Christ's righteousness should be marked by the practice of it.  In choosing holiness and righteousness, we walk in true worship and praise of the God who loves us and gave His life for us.  One person's deliberate act of choosing righteous obedience to God is worth more than all the songs and raised hands of those who walk unrighteously.

Have you chosen the Way of Righteousness to receive salvation?  That is good!  Be mindful and intentional to take the necessary step of choosing to live righteously every day.  Through God it is possible!

The Healthy Perspective

This morning I asked God to provide something for me to post on the blog, and today He saw fit to provide in a way I did not expect!  God speaks through times of prayer and scripture reading, but He also reveals Himself in the mundane.  When a man knows God, it changes his perspective of everything.  Even in accidents God's grace and goodness is revealed.  In a little booklet I read the other day written by Ken Ham, he stated all students of science use the same facts but their worldviews dictate how the facts are interpreted.  It is God in a person who opens our eyes to His gracious benefits even when things "go wrong."

In between studies this morning, I went to the kitchen to prepare a coffee for myself.  After tamping the grounds in the portafiller, I pulled the stainless steel milk frothing jug from the strainer.  Unknown to me (at first!), the blade attachment for our blender was stealthily tucked inside!  Before I even looked down or felt the sting, I knew what had happened:  the blender attachment had fallen - face down - into my toe.  It didn't bleed right away, but I kept my eye on it.  It wouldn't be long...yep, oozing blood began to slowly outline the small incision.  I grabbed a paper towel and spent the next few minutes looking through the house for Band-Aids!

As I cleaned the wound, I marveled how close the point of the blade came to hitting the leather strap on my Rainbow thongs.  A couple of millimetres to the left and all the discomfort could have been avoided!  But my mind did not settle on that point, because had the tip of the blade entered a couple millimetres to the right, I would have likely damaged the tendon on my big toe and also sliced through a vein!  Given the situation, instead of lamenting the injury I praised God it was not more severe.  As it was I would relegate the cut to a mild inconvenience and hardly worth mentioning.  But it is worth mentioning that God is worthy of praise whether we manage to avoid injury or if a flying cleaver chops off an entire toe!  Even should the body of a child of God be ruined or destroyed, we have been promised by God a new, resurrected, and glorified body we will use to dwell with God and praise and serve Him forever!

Keeping our eyes on God is a healthy perspective that leads to the grateful praise of God with all thankfulness.  Psalm 118:28-29 concludes with, "You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. ²⁹ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."  God's goodness and mercy does not hinge on the condition of my toe, but what grace He showed me today in protecting me and opening my eyes to see His providential hand for my God and His glory.  Turn your eyes to God and praise the One worthy of all glory and praise for He is good, and His mercy endures forever!

Authority and Control

A follower of Jesus Christ has the assurance of scripture that God has authority over all and is in control.  Matthew 28:18 records words Jesus said to His disciples:  "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."  Under Christ's authority, we can therefore go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptising, and teaching them to follow God's ways.

A funny thing happens when people are given positions of authority.  It changes the way people think and relate to others - and often for the worse.  Many become overbearing and harsh.  In the words of Agur in Proverbs 30:21-23:  "For three things the earth is perturbed, yes, for four it cannot bear up: ²² for a servant when he reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, ²³ a hateful woman when she is married, and a maidservant who succeeds her mistress."  A common worker without training would likely be unprepared for the responsibility of managing the business affairs of a global corporation, and probably struggle to efficiently manage employees at a local business.  How much more difficult would it be to suddenly have free reign over a country!   We have all witnessed people given authority without adequate preparation, and their newly acquired power is easily abused.

Regardless of the scope of your authority in a family, relationships, business, or ministry, the persuasive temptation is this:  you have authority, so therefore you should be in control.  The question is, can a man truly be "in control" when God sits on the throne?  Self- control is a fruit of the Spirit, and therefore our flesh is simply incapable of the standard of self-control which only comes from God.  If man cannot even control himself, how much less control does he wield over others!  What great lengths people in authority take to seize control or maintain control!  Much effort can be given to worry, schemes, fears, or labour to influence or manipulate to keep our grasp on even the illusion of control.  Authority is inevitably abused when removed from God's guiding control.

Can we change the hearts of other people?  Can we transform our own hearts?  Can we through effort change our sinful, selfish ways?  No!  God has complete authority, but He gives us freedom to choose whether we will submit to Him or not.  Isn't that amazing?  God is indeed "in control" - as far as His plans will be brought to pass, even redeeming circumstances outside of His perfect will for good - yet He does not "control" us.  There is a humility in His governance which requires faith in God for us to imitate.  We must be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking because we have authority given by God, our efforts are wisely used in a vain attempt to control others.  Jesus demonstrated love, gave abundant mercy and grace, and humbled himself.  That was how Jesus utilised and revealed all the authority in heaven and earth given Him by the Father.  For His glory may we exercise any authority we have in the same way:  not through attempts to control others, but in submission and obedience to God!

King Eglon Must Die!

One of my favourite Bible passages growing up is found in Judges 3, when Ehud assassinated King Eglon of Moab.  For 18 years the children of Israel had been oppressed by the corpulent Eglon, who rallied the people of Ammon and Amalek against them.  God heard the cries of His people and raised up Ehud as a deliverer, a left-handed man.  He fashioned a two-edged dagger - too short to be considered a sword - and smuggled it under his clothes.  After giving a payment of tribute, Ehud sought an audience with King Eglon, saying he had a secret message for him.  Judges 3:20-23 contains the gruesome details:  "And Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." So he arose from his seat. ²¹ Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. ²² Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. ²³ Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them."  Ehud escaped, gathered the people together, and subdued the Moabites.  God saved His people from their enemies, and they enjoyed peace for 80 years.

As a kid, I confess I wasn't looking for a spiritual application to this passage.  Maybe I led a sheltered life (which I did, no doubt!), but it was exciting reading.  There are many spiritual truths in this passage to glean and profit from.  As the passage came to mind yesterday, it occurred to me Ehud knew who his enemy was and how to defeat him.  This is huge.  He wasn't content with attacks on a Moabite garrison, or to hurl insults from a distance.  He would not be pleased to sabotage equipment or boast a large body count from his assaults:  he had his sight set on the king!  Ehud devised an effective strategy to defeat his enemy, and knew his weak spot.  King Eglon was powerless to attack or resist after the sword was plunged home.

The Word of God (the Bible) is called the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6:17.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 also says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  Ehud was a man who carefully picked his shots.  He was not going to attack lackeys, village elders, or servants when he could end oppression once and for all by killing the king!  Eglon is a good representation of the flesh and its excesses.  Too often we can wage war on symptoms and neglect to deal with the heart of the matter.  Eglon had many servants, and to attempt a fight against them would have been fruitless and incited greater oppression.  Making our personal battles focused on mere behaviour will lead to eventual and certain defeat.  The enemy is enthroned within the stronghold and well-fortified!  The sword of the Spirit is effective at revealing our motives, and the Holy Spirit is able to wield it masterfully to expose hidden sin in us.  The razor-sharp cutting edge of the Word must be applied to our hearts and only when we repent will Eglon fall.

At this very moment, the Eglon in all of us is plotting his revenge.  Silently and subtlety he rallies his forces so he once again can rule. Thankfully we have the wisdom of God and the sword of the Spirit to finish him off.  The only way to defeat the flesh is to kill it, and Jesus was crucified so we might experience life abundant and everlasting.  Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  When the sword of the Spirit is applied faithfully to our hearts, we experience the peace of God and fulness of joy.  How good it is to be free!