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On Righteousness: Benefits Part 2 - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) May 31, 2022

Updated: Jun 28

Righteousness. The word is all over the Bible. In the New International Version (NIV), it is featured 213 times. You'll find the term in the King James Version (KJV) 291 times across the Old and New Testaments. And in the Amplified Bible (AMP), you'll find 318 mentions of 'righteousness'. While it doesn't come close to some of the more frequently used words in the Bible, 'righteousness' is a crucial concept we need to understand so we live in a manner that pleases God and reflects His values.


Last week, we took a stab at understanding righteousness as well as considered some of the benefits the righteous enjoy. We also learned about a warning God made to the unrighteous. Today, we once again look at more benefits from righteous living and we learn a good reason why not to turn away from it.


Life is full of trials but the righteous are promised in Proverbs 13:21 - Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things. 'Good things' can mean anything from receiving favor at your job like Nehemiah, who prayerfully interceded for his entire nation, and went from the king's cupbearer to the governor of Jerusalem. God recognized the righteousness of Hannah, who was childless but committed her first child to the Lord. He gave her Samuel - one of Israel's greatest spiritual leaders - whose word was always honored by God (1 Samuel 3:19).


He even gives the righteous a blank check to receive a reward from Him. Imagine someone very rich being so pleased with you that they give you a check for their bank account with the amount section left empty. Now imagine that person telling you to write the amount you want. That's exactly what God did for King David who wrote in Psalm 18:20 - The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. David needed help and God swept in, rewarding him on the basis of his righteousness. Whatever situation you are in, you get to call in that reward all because you've made godly choices that put His word first. King Hezekiah did this. After being told by Prophet Isaiah that he was about to die, the king prayed, reminding the Lord of his righteous life then, he wept. God immediately instructed the prophet to inform Hezekiah that He'd added 15 more years to his life (2 Kings 20).


God has promised to protect the righteous in their time of trial. A righteous person might stumble seven times, but God has assured that they will not fall under the weight of life's challenges or the attacks of their enemies according to Proverbs 24:16. Also, we are told in 2 Peter 2:9 - ... the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. God did this for King David when his own son, Absalom, usurped the throne. So many turned against David and he left Jerusalem mournfully. However, when it was all said and done, the two sides went to war - a war that David won - and he returned to the city with people rushing out to greet him.


For those who choose to ignore the call for righteousness, God warns they will reap His anger. Romans 2:8 - but to those who are self-serving and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation. King Saul experienced the wrath and indignation of God. After repeatedly disobeying the Lord, God stated He'd regretted making him king of the Israelites. In the end, God stopped communicating with him and he died in battle, losing his oldest sons on the same day as well.


Nobody is saying a righteous life is easy. Nevertheless, God wants us to try. If that hadn't been the case, He wouldn't have spent so much of the Bible instructing us to be godly and flee from sin. When we make mistakes, we simply need to repent and get right back on track to purposefully living in a way that aims to please Him. We won't know how He wants us to live if we don't study the Bible and work on having a good relationship with the Lord. May we each desire a godly lifestyle and take steps toward achieving it by His grace and to His glory, IJMN, Amen.


PS: As I noted last week, I likely will not be available during P&P at Noon EST today. I pray the Lord will lead you all in honoring Him with reverent praise and intercessory prayers for others. The Lord bless you!



Here's what we've learned about Righteousness thus far:


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