Faithful on Fridays Blog

Beatitudes Part Five: Righteousness

Who doesn’t enjoy being right? I know in my family it’s a challenge that each one of us takes. The question, though, isn’t who’s right, but in whose eyes are you right? That makes all the difference in the world. As Jesus continued His teaching from Matt. 5 He made the statement that people will call you blessed if you hunger and thirst for righteousness. With that desire, He declared, you will be satisfied. Is He talking about being right all the time? Let’s explore it for a moment.

Yes, I want to be right. However, as a believer in Jesus Christ I want to be right in His eyes, not my own. After I’ve entered into this new relationship with Christ I’ve been spiritually reborn, my desire for rightness moves from my own eyes to His. His sacrifice on the cross in my place purchased this clean record for me and now I’m spiritually pure and holy in Him, however, I have to move on. My desire, my hunger and thirst, my spiritual appetites, should progress from self-centeredness to God-centeredness; that’s spiritual growth. 

Sanctification is a big word that means walking uprightly before God. We live everyday with this craving to be viewed by Him as holy and blameless: right. This attitude can’t include constantly getting our own way, getting even for a suffered wrong, or taking retaliation against someone even when they deserve it. Holding bitterness in your heart until you’re ready to explode at the mention of a name is not right.

In this sermon Jesus taught us how to live in the Kingdom of God. He’s giving us a better way, a higher way, a way that’s right in His eyes. King David had this deep craving, listen to His declaration:

Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see You face to face and be satisfied. Psalm 17:15 

That’s kingdom living. Walking with God every day with His perspective in mind. This verse isn’t about justification, being declared innocent of our sin, it’s about caring what Jesus thinks. It’s about His opinion, not ours. David didn’t do everything right, but He had confidence that God was leading him in his decisions.

I was blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my guilt. So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. Psalm 18:23, 24 

I want to hunger and thirst for rightness in God’s eyes. If I say I don’t care, then my heart is obviously already filled … with myself. The mother of Jesus prophesied in Luke 1:53 that the Messiah would fill the hungry with good things but the rich He would send away empty. So go ahead and be right, He wants you to, but make sure that your rightness is His rightness.

… and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:24