I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness. (Psalm 7:7, NIV)
Somewhere in the counsel of God, spread through the infinite beginning, the Lord established the standards for his universe.
And may I suggest, nearly 14 years in, that such a statement is the most fantastic beginning we’ve ever made of a devotion? I don’t mean that it is uniquely well-written or otherwise praiseworthy. I mean that it says things about God that reach beyond the confines of our mental capabilities—that God maintains his own counsel, that he has infinitely existed, that he governs the universe in its apparently endless expanse. Imagine! Well, imagine as far as you can.
To me a golf ball is a gorgeous little thing, all shiny and perfectly dimpled. Still I am sure that if I were to look at it through the lens of a jeweler, each ball would have as many pits and flaws as even the finest diamonds. God, however, could stand such scrutiny. In the minutest detail, his perfection would shine even there.
God’s people, while imperfect in their efforts and thus ever reliant on the work of the Redeemer, have always been called to obey God in righteousness.When we think of God this way, we cannot help but ask—albeit with a significant measure of reverent fear—what it is that God demonstrates most and asks unequivocally for from his universe.
The answer appears to lie in two psalmic lines traced back through the ages.
David wrote in Psalm 9: “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.”
And from the writer of Psalm 33, we see: “The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”
Under the Law, under grace, God has always demonstrated and loved righteousness and justice. And God’s people, while imperfect in their efforts and thus ever reliant on the work of the Redeemer, have always been called to obey God in righteousness. Undoubtedly, when we look at Scripture, our righteousness must be rooted in faith—faith that God will replace our failed righteousness with the perfect righteousness of Christ, but also faith that the one who gave his own Son to death on a cross for us would not lead us down a meaningless path in his calling us to righteous living. We say we bear the name of Christ; does that bearing carry with it a desire and a discipline to honor him by reflecting his righteous and just image?
—
Jeff Hopper
September 5, 2014
Copyright 2014 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
Threads of Righteousness 2
Threads of Righteousness 3
Threads of Righteousness 4
Threads of Righteousness 5
Threads of Righteousness 6: God alone
Threads of Righteousness 7: Only God?
Threads of Righteousness 8: Humble Selves
Threads of Righteousness 9: Humble Acts
Threads of Righteousness 10: Mercy Speaks
Threads of Righteousness 11: Acting Justly
Threads of Righteousness 12: Generosity
Threads of Righteousness 13: Faithfulness
Threads of Righteousness 14: Purity
Threads of Righteousness 15: God of Love
Threads of Righteousness 16: God’s Loving Plan
Threads of Righteousness 17: Acting in Love
Threads of Righteousness 18: Spirit of God
Threads of Righteousness 19: Spirit-led Living