show your right

Instead of making resolutions, what we really need to pick up on is discipline, and work toward that. This will help us accomplish a lot of things and ultimately end the need for resolutions. While discipline isn’t this month’s topic, it is a large part of it.


This month we tackle Righteousness. When I think of righteousness, like Mick put it, I think of how right I am with God. Just this past Sunday – even more confirmation that this word is fitting for the season – we discussed Obedience in Church. We were taught that God only responds to us up to our last point of disobedience. We learned from 1 Samuel about how God told Saul to do something, and how Saul disobeyed and did what he wanted to do. Saul paid the ultimate price for his disobedience, as well as his son, who wasn’t even at fault! Thanks to Christ, we no longer suffer such severe consequences. Saul not only lost his Life, but he lost his authority, as well as his covenant (connection) with God. We lose all these things when we disobey God as well. Sure we don’t die, but if we aren’t right with God and we do die, we already know what comes next. Then we lose both our life and eternal life.


As imperfects striving to be more like the perfection that was Christ, we will fall short many times before we face judgment. We have to ensure that all we’ve done doesn’t go in vain for one mistake. Sure sin is knowing something is wrong, and doing it anyway, but I always feel safe repenting whenever I pray. Remember the algorithm, Praise – Repent – Ask – Yield. I’ve probably said it before, but there have been times when I would pray and feel like I wasn’t getting heard. It goes back to what I said earlier about God responding up until your last point of disobedience. If you can’t remember when or what that was, repenting anyway is a good safety net.


Repentance is the fastest and easiest way to ensure you’re right with God. Next to that is discipline. Once you’re right, the best way to keep favor with God is to continue living right. God appreciates you turning from your sin and coming back to him. But I just think it gets old after a while, falling in and out of sin, going up for prayer every Sunday, the whole nine. Then I stop feeling sorry for myself and find some discipline. What I’ve found that’s help me most recently is something I think learned Sunday as well. The pastor mentioned the idea of killing your flesh. Now I’ve heard the concept of dying to your flesh, but killing it did something different for me. A while back my friends and I use to joke around, and when we would do something silly or embarrassing, we’d say “Kill yourself.” I know it’s a bit harsh thinking back on it, but now that I look into the phrase and apply it to the flesh, it’s really help me deny my flesh satisfaction. When it becomes tempted, in my head I tell it to kill itself, and remember it’s not my will that is to be done, but God’s. Stay right family and the Lord will surely bless you.


Be blessed and Stay blessed!

C.j.