Got righteousness?

This is what it's about.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Righteousness … there’s not a big demand for it by today’s standards. But if the Bible really is God-inspired then it represents much more than the “casual reading” volumes occupying the remaining space on our bookshelf. And thus, the very tool by which we can be “trained” in righteousness should be the encouragement we need to bring its pages before our eyes on a regular basis.

In John Darby’s commentary on this passage, he says of the scriptures, “They teach, they judge the heart, they correct, they discipline according to righteousness, in order that the man of God may be perfect, that is, thoroughly instructed in the will of God, his mind formed after that will and completely furnished for every good work.” That’s a pretty compelling argument for making God’s Word an integral part of our daily activities. And to add some depth to the persuasion, Paul informs us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

There are times when the “walking in them” part seems overwhelming. We live in a world that offers more distractions than perhaps any other period in history. Yet, our unchangeable God has instructed us to keep righteousness and good works in their proper place, regardless of our outward circumstances.

Martin Luther describes the task like this: “This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health, but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished, but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified.”

There is no joy more satisfying than knowing our life is focused and directed by the will of God. Every day is a journey for which He has promised guidance and blessing … if we will merely stop for a few moments, read the instructions and have a chat with the Author.

Transformation? Or renovation?

Metamorphosis ... a complete change.

“. . . that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Have you checked out the “Self-Help & Self-Improvement” section of your local book store? There’s Addiction & Recovery, Emotional Healing, Personal Growth, Meditations and everything in between. At Barnes & Noble’s online store there are nearly 14 thousand selections in the Psychological Self-Help category alone!

In his bestseller, Wishes Fulfilled, author Wayne W.Dyer tells us that “…your wishes, all of them, can indeed be fulfilled. By using your imagination and practicing the art of assuming the feeling of your wishes being fulfilled, and steadfastly refusing to allow any evidence of the outer world to distract you from your intentions, you will discover that you, by virtue of your spiritual awareness, possess the ability to become the person you were destined to be.”