Today I cried. I got a light of the reality of walking with the Lord.
Righteousness is about doing the right thing because it is right, it works, it is love, it is appropriate, it helps, it uplifts, it is pure.
It is not to say I am better than you, I am one up, I am proud. It is often I am humble, I am broken, I am quiet and broken but I will meet this need, because it is right.
The alternative to righteous acts leads to destroying things, decay and finally death. It is a betrayal of people and things, its purpose is because of sin, hurt, distortions, revenge, bitterness etc.
We are not part of the righteous thought police, where every thought which is wrong is sin. Thoughts give rise to sin, but thoughts are ideas, constructs that come and go. It is up to you what you do with them.
We know how far we are away from the Lord because our thoughts are often so close to sinful actions, we feel condemned without even sinning. We give up on righteousness, because we think we have to be an angel, and do not recognise our biological flesh that spring up ideas and thoughts that go from the sublime to the totally crude. It is though what you do with them, whether you dwell on them or put them into context, that makes all the difference.
If you walk in righteousness and purity for one hour, that hour in holy. If one hour goes to one day, to one week, to one month, to one year you have walked into the kingdom.
Walking with the Lord is about being in the kingdom. Sin is about rebellious acts done for whatever reason that need resolving and dealing with.
It is only love that purifies and sets things straight, that gives guidance and clarity, ministered by the Holy Spirit.
Listening to some Christians, even when righteousness is imputed to them, they have confessed and repented of all known sin, they still cannot walk as they should. Then surely the Lord died in vain, and in fact it is all meaningless, because there is no such thing as cleansing or living righteously.
But to deny to this degree is deemed correct theology. No it is the theology of condemnation, of being judged, of walking in the flesh and not the Spirit. Yet so many here would claim they have great spiritual understanding but they still believe they cannot walk righteously. So there is no salvation for them. The promise is empty and the words of Paul to Timothy are a lie
"Set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Tim 4:12
Good works are the fruit, the outcome of righteousness, for the heart desires to do good things. It is not to say look at this, I am proud, no it is saying these works are gifts of love to other people, showing and expressing the love God has planted within. If pride enters in, am I not such a good person etc. it all starts to go wrong. But again people say the good works are filthy rags as if good works are justification of position rather than the pure expression of being in the Kingdom.
Those who speak like this about good works need to bury themselves in the Love of Jesus and be transformed, because without such fruit you have not found the heart of Jesus.
