Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
Righteousness, as defined by the dictionary, is "the quality or state of being just or rightful." Righteousness is something that everyone understands, whether they can put words to it or not. We are trained from birth to act correctly, because we understand very early on what sin is. Living in righteousness means that we are living through justified actions. How many people can honestly say that every single one of their actions is justified?
In Romans 5:15-19, we see that, through the actions of Adam's original sin, each of us is plagued with sin and condemned to an eternity away from God. We also see, however, that because of Christ's pure and righteous act (death on a cross and resurrection into life), we can reenter into righteousness.
Often, people try to justify their actions on their own, stating "their" reasons for acting in the manner observed. Unfortunately, this is the most childish of responses that we can have. We can't justify our own sin, so what good does it do to reason things away? Wouldn't it be better to just own up to the mistakes made?
Every time that someone tries to reason away their mistakes, they work out of their own strength. Working out of one's own strength just uses up whatever energy they had and thus leaves them with less than when they started. This is the essence of being burnt out and is the complete opposite of God's original intent for us to be filled.
Consider your life. Are you tired of paying the price for your own actions and mistakes? Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that you will live a life without consequences; but, you can live a life that is finally justified. Christ's actions don't justify us continually living in sin, but rather they justify us being removed from sin, to no longer be caught in the trap of unfulfilling and useless words. Do you desire to be filled by God? Then stop trying to make excuses for your wrong actions! Just stop doing them.
This week, I encourage you to take inventory of your thoughts, words, and actions. Do you have a growing sense of God's presence in your life or are you continually feeling empty and alone. Only you can change that. God will save you, if you would just let Him have authority in your life.
God's blessings on your life this week,
Bryan
http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com
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