CONTINUE IN CHRIST - PART 7

MONDAY 24 JUNE 2024

If you are born again, there was an interpolation of righteousness into your spirit, at the very moment or point you got born again. This interpolation is a function of divine positioning that empowers you with the ability to continue in Christ.

Reference: 1st John 2:28-29 English Standard Version (ESV)

"And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at his coming. If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him."

The nature of righteousness is a well-centred "kingdom of God" in you, powered by the Spirit. It is the gift of God that has imparted a new vitality and injected a newness of life into your belief system. Romans 5:17 reads, "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" (NIV). Notice that the gift of righteousness positions you to reign in life by exercising your faith in Christ. Zero wonder, many Christians who have grasped this understanding as a fixed intimation awareness - go through life with it as their prevailing mindset.

Being conscious of righteousness will assign you all the reasons to practise it. To that effect, apostle Paul said to Timothy, "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness" (1 Timothy 6:11 NIV). The term, "Pursue righteousness" does not necessarily imply that you go after righteousness because it is hard or probably beyond your capacity to access or attain it; it means to "outwardly" desire and thirst after things that are right, pure, noble and praiseworthy, in accordance with your inner life shaped by the nature of righteousness. Got it? So Pauline epistolary dictum in this versified statement is centred on outward expression of several clusters of righteousness with a "high-spirited" open character powered by the inner influence of that nature.

Now watch this: If you want to rapidly increase in your candid operation as an ardent "righteousness" practitioner, you must focus on preaching the glorious gospel of Christ. Why? Paul revealed the "Why" in Romans 1:16-17 which says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith" (NIV).

Did you notice that in preaching the gospel truth which brings salvation to everyone who believes, the righteousness of God is revealed in your life from faith for faith? That way, people experience the in-depth revelation of God's righteousness being demonstrated through your own personal words and Christian life. It is not a magic; it's a reflection of the impact of the glorious gospel in your heart because you've aligned your spirit with fulfilling the eternal purpose of the great commission.

Practising righteousness involves sound godly training by the wisdom of God. 2nd Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (NIV). To practise righteousness effectively, we must submit to "training in righteousness." In this regard, hebraic awakening indication reads:

"...We have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we submitted and respected them [for training us]; shall we not much more willingly submit to the Father of spirits, and live [by learning from His discipline]? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for only a short time as seemed best to them; but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the time being, no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God's will and purpose]." (Hebrews 12:9-11 AMP).

Stay tuned for part 8. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Romans 14:17; Hebrews 5:13; 2 Timothy 2:22; 1 John 3:7-10.

Guided Prayer:

Heavenly Father, your righteousness serves its full purpose in me through the soundness of godly training and discipline that empowers me to live a Christ centred life. It exerts in me, the external means of demonstrating your instructions as I practise it. I acknowledge that it is your pure gift, unearned, underserved, and unmerited trait - natured in me; It is all of your grace bigly, heavily and manifestly at work. Unmistakably, I'm driven by the superior force of righteousness, compelling me to keep fulfilling my glorious destiny in Christ, in Jesus' Name, Amen!