Daily Devotional: BE!
Day 27: Be Filled with Righteousness
Matthew 5:6 [NIV]
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 [AMPC]
“Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!”
Matthew 5:6 [AMP]
“Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.”
Let’s go back to the Book of Exodus momentarily, to see how God describes His goodness — His glory.
Exodus 33:18-19 [NIV]
18 “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
And in Exodus 34, in the first part of verse 6, God passes before Moses and declares:
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…”
In many references to righteous, throughout Scripture, it is coupled with justice, because they are the foundation of God’s throne.
Psalm 89:14 -15
14 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.”
And again, the Psalmist writes in chapter 97:1-3
1 “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.”
Psalm 36:5-7
5 “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”
I learn from these Scriptures that Righteousness and Justice are foundational components of our walk with God. They are a protection for the believer that strengthens and affirms their journey with Him. It is imperative, then, that we are filled with His righteousness, desiring it as a baby desires milk.
In the womb, the baby is continually nourished through the mother. It is that kind of intimate journey that God seeks to have with us, and so He tells us to, in the same way, hunger and thirst for His righteousness. He promises to fill us with His righteousness, and His justice — His Kingdom way of doing things.
1 Corinthians 1:30
“It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, Who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
Righteousness is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 lists some of the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
In the Book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul also adds righteousness.
Philippians 1:9-11
9 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
2 Corinthians 9:10 [NIV]
9 As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
The Apostle Paul is quoting from Psalm 112. Let’s read the whole Psalm, because there are so many wonderful God-given promises in it to encourage us today.
Psalm 112 [AMPC]
1 “Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who fears (reveres and worships) the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.
2 His [spiritual] offspring shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3 Prosperity and welfare are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright, gracious, compassionate, and just [who are in right standing with God].
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 He will not be moved forever; the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord.
8 His heart is established and steady, he will not be afraid while he waits to see his desire established upon his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely [he has given to the poor and needy]; his righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) endures forever; his horn shall be exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man will see it and be grieved and angered, he will gnash his teeth and disappear [in despair]; the desire of the wicked shall perish and come to nothing.”
Abraham believed God, no matter how unfathomable the promises God made to him seemed. And it was credited to him as righteousness.
Let us receive and believe these promises in Psalm 112 as the seeds planted in the good soil of our heart. Jesus taught that it is a loving and receptive heart — a believing heart — which brings an hundredfold harvest for our soul. Therefore, let us accept them as the very Word of God for us, and for our loved ones today.
Bonus Challenge: Write something for every letter of your alphabet, like the Psalmist did, that describes Who God is to you, and what He has done for you. It can even be like a Gratitude Journal, which you can continue throughout your life.
If your alphabet has symbols or characters, which represent the meaning of words or sounds, then write an amount you are comfortable writing, and enjoy the journey of discovery of how wonderful God is.
Here are just a few examples of languages, and how many letters in their alphabet, which I found on the internet, from most letters to the smallest number of letters in their alphabet.
Chinese: 50,000-85,000 characters
Tamil: 247 [India, Sri Lanka]
Khmer: 74 [Cambodia]
Nepali: 64 [Nepal]
Hindi: 52 [India]
Japanese: 46, with approximately 2, 000-3,000 characters in everyday use, and well over 50,000 in Kanji.
Urdu: 36 [Pakistan, India]
Armenian: 36
Russian: 33
Persian: 32
Turkish: 29
Arabic: 28
Spanish: 27
English: 26
German: 26
French: 26
Dutch: 26
Portuguese: 26
Greek: 24
Korean: 24
Hebrew: 22
Italian: 21
Rotokas: 12 [New Guinea]
My Acrostic Prayer, as an Example to get you Started
Adam was the first human being to hear Your voice, Father, and I too love to hear Your voice. Thank You for hearing mine.
Beauty and creativity are in Your hands, Father, and You bless everything you have made.
Christ, my Saviour has become my best Friend, and I am blessed by His presence every day.
Daily, we acknowledge the benefits which come with knowing Who You are, Father, and we are grateful.
Everything that You have made looks to You for help in time of need, and You come quickly to help them.
Father of all, we honor You, and given You praise and glory for Who You are.
God of all creation, You sustain, uplift, and protect those who call on You, and You are faithful to listen to their cry, and help them quickly.
Has not the sun been told to shine, and the moon to give her light, and the earth to rotate at Your command? We also, whom You have made with your Own hands, can do no less but to obey Your commands.
I praise You, Holy Spirit, my Comforter and Counsellor, for teaching me how to Love God, my Father, and Jesus, His Only Begotten Son.
Justice prevails, because You are our Judge, Father. We are protected by Your lovingkindness, and mercy.
Kindness clothes us in Your majesty, and Your goodness follows us all the days of our life, looking for ways to bless us.
Love and faithfulness keep us close to Your heart, Jesus, for You know those who belong to You.
More than I can count are Your thoughts about me, Father. Thank You that we are always on Your mind.
No one is able to create anything equal to all that You have created for us to enjoy.
Once I heard Your heart, I was undone and my heart was changed.
Precious and holy is the Lord, God Almighty, the One Who was, and Who is, and Who is to come.
Queens and kings of the earth, listen to the King of kings, and Lord of lords for your own benefit, for He knows how to rule with righteousness and justice. He is your Example and Role Model for a long and effective reign.
Reign in me, Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Ride in victory over my soul, and take me with You wherever You go.
Shout to the Lord in triumph. He has spoken, and He has created, and it is so. All heaven and earth, and anything else that there may be, will bow to His Holy Name.
Trust in the Lord and stay in Him, and He will remain in you. He will help you, teach you, comfort you and console you.
Under His wings you shall be sheltered, delivered and healed of everything that comes to take you out of His hand. For nothing is impossible with God, and you are firmly grasped in His Loving Hands.
Victory and Honor belong to our God, Who rides in majesty and splendor, wrapping Himself in the cover of clouds until the righteous are vindicated.
When I praise Him, my song personally touches His heart. When I pray, my cry personally touches His ears.
When I can but whisper, my thoughts touch His Soul.
Xerxes learned the mercy of God, at the hand of Esther. Thank You Father that the heart of the king is in the Hand of God, to turn it in the way it should go for the sake of Your loved ones.
You are my Hiding place in the day of trouble. Thank You Father that you shelter us in the shadow of Your hand, and hide is in the Quiver You use for Your arrows, while You take out the enemy of our souls.
Zealousness compels You to care for us, consuming Your Soul, Father, so that You come and sit with us for fellowship because of Your unfailing Love.
