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About righteousness

– I was captured by this truth from an article the other day, the author wrote, “The Spirit of God that is indwelling the born-again believer causes him to be repulsed by the same things that displease his Creator. Because we love Him, we do not delight in such evil but rejoice in the truth.“

– Being repulsed by the same things that displease our Creator is in fact the spirit of righteousness.

– HOWEVER, being repulsed by sin and sinful acts does not necessarily mean we stop doing them. For our human (fleshly) appetites are VERY HARD TO OVERCOME sometimes.
– And Satan will try to bring us into condemnation, saying we are not worthy to be saved.
– If you identify with this FALSE accusation, remember the TRUTH spoken by Jesus, ”For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.” (John 3:17)

In an effort to hide our own repulsion of evil behavior, our society has pushed Righteousness to the back of the bus (so to speak), for we have come to see righteousness as looking down on other sinners around us… That is a twisted and false interpretation of the righteousness that God calls us to in His Word (The Holy Bible).
— This quiz will lead us to dig into this further according to the writings of King David (a man after God’s own heart). We will dive further into Psalm #39 to form the foundation of this study.

(Circle the correct answer)

Psalm 37:12-15  (ESV) The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him,  (13)  but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.  (14)  The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;  (15)  their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

Today we see the ungodly trying to do good to the destitute street people…
Q1. How does this line up with Vs.14? “The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy…”

a/ By attacking or hindering those who bring the message that Jesus is the way to be saved, they keep God’s provision and blessings from the poor and the needy.

b/ Supplying “safe-drugs” without strongly urging them to seek treatment, allows addicts to continue in their addiction unto destruction.

c/ Both a & b

Q2. How do we see the wicked plotting against the righteous and gnashing their teeth at them?

a/ They insist that only fools believe there is a God who demands living according to the Bible’s standards.

b/ Anyone who insists on yielding control to a loving, righteous God, becomes their enemy.     c/ Both a & b

Vs.16… Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.
Q3. How does life witness this truth to us?

a/ The News constantly tells us of all the good things that happen to the wealthy of this world.

b/ The News constantly tells us of terrible things that happen to the wealthy of this world.

Vs.17-19… For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.  (18)  The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever;  (19)  they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.
Q4. What promise for those who intentionally follow the teachings of Jesus is contained here?

a/ God takes no notice of the wicked.     b/ God allows evil to win.     c/ God will defend right behavior.

Vs.20… But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
Q5. What mindset does King David display in these verses from his song of praise?

a/ Seeking pleasure is what it’s all about.     b/ To live a humble life at peace with God is the goal.

— I will close by encouraging you to read Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:31-34, where He says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” …(KK)

(Click here for a PDF copy)