Thought for Today: THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

In this season of your life, you are doing all that you can to be right with God. You try to go to church as much as you can, you read the word of God as much as possible, you pray, and you worship God in spirit and in truth. All those things are good, but doing those things don’t make a person right with God.

Religion has made the term THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD into acts that can make a person be right with God. I know this may sound strange to you, but going to church, reading your bible, being in prayer meetings, knowing the by-laws of your church, singing in the choir, serving on the deacon board, ushering and greeting folks as they come into the church, serving in the parking lot ministry, serving in kids ministry, preaching or teaching the word of God does not make you, me, or anybody else right with God.

Because religion has changed the meaning of “righteousness” into acts of doing things, when a person hears the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, many think of a religious person who has their nose in the air about how everybody else is living wrong and they are living right. But I came by on my way to heaven to expose you to the truth of what THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD means, according to the word of God.

The word of God says it this way, “For He (God, himself) made Him (Jesus the Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; THAT WE (this means you) might be made THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM (Jesus Christ)” (2 Corinthians 5:2). The word of God says, “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death is separation from God.

This is what God meant when He told Adam and Eve “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof THOU SHALT SURELY DIE” (Genesis 2:17). God gave Adam and Eve a choice; they could have eaten of any tree of the garden except that one tree, but it was God’s way of showing humanity that He has made man a free will agent, you have a choice.

You can be right with God or not right with God, that choice is up to you. After the word of God says “for the wages of sin is death,” the second half of that scripture says “BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD” (Romans 6:23).

I will never assume anyone knows anything about God, whenever I write the thought of the day, whenever I teach the word of God, or whenever God uses me to preach the word of God, I do those things with the mindset that what I am preaching, what I am teaching, or what I am writing is new information to the one hearing or reading my words.

The problem with many church folks is that they assume everyone should know what they know. I will say it again: going to church, reading your bible, praying, and worshiping God in spirit and in truth does not make anybody, including me, right with God. Doing those things will help you maintain a good-standing relationship with God, but they will not make you right with God.

The only thing that will make you RIGHT WITH GOD is accepting the death, burial, and resurrection of JESUS CHRIST and accepting Jesus Christ as your personal LORD AND SAVIOR. Not just Savior, but LORD AND SAVIOR. That, and that alone, is the only thing that will MAKE YOU RIGHT WITH GOD. For it is written, “For the LORD KNOWETH THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS BUT THE WAY OF THE UNGODLY SHALL PERISH” (Psalm 1:6).

Your actions in and for the church don’t make you right with God, and being THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD does not give you the right to look down on anybody else because their sins are not your sins.

When you know the truth about being THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, your life will show those around you that without the LORD JESUS you can do nothing, but with God all things are possible. Stand up women of God, stand up men of God, for YOU ARE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD and GOD knows you. And know this truth that only what God will do for you will last.

Be Blessed