Wisdomfied part 8-Good Versus Evil

Prepare your heart-Read Psalm 4, paying careful attention to the word righteousness and any other synonyms of the word.  Pray about where your faith is in regard to trusting in the Lord for your righteousness (4:1,5).

Good and evil, also called righteousness and wickedness is not a popular concept in American culture.  Our society likes to see shades of gray and justify their actions.  They are afraid of being viewed as intolerant to judge something as “right or wrong.”  Where does your sense of morality lie?  Is it based on the ever changing, fickle, self-seeking and superficial views of others who don’t consider their eternity?  Or on word of truth that is timeless, whose source is the all-knowing, beyond time God who created it all? 

Today as you study, how God views the wicked and the righteous in His sight, and take note of the blessings and consequences each role brings. 

Proverbs:

·         10:6,7,16,28-30

·         11:5-10,18-20,23

·         12:2,3,5-8,12,21,28

·         13:9,21,25

·         14:11,19,34

·         15:6,9

·         20:7

·         21:18

·         24:15,16

·         28:12,28

·         29:2,16,27

I don’t know about you, but whenever I’ve read verses about righteousness like Proverbs 20:7 The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him my initial thought was, “I’m not blameless.  I sin all the time.  I must not be righteous.”  But don’t forget Psalm 4, who are you trusting for your righteousness?  God or yourself?  Isaiah 64:6 says For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither life a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.  The word doesn’t just say our best attempts at righteousness are good enough for God, it says that are best efforts are brown mud smeared across a white tuxedo.  We have no shot on our own!  Quit trying to do it yourself!  So how do you escape the trap of always trying and falling short?  We have a Rescuer and His name is Jesus (Galatians 1:4).  It is a retched place to live, in bondage to good deeds, but He has come to set us free (Romans 7:24).  Consider 1 Corinthians 1:30 (God’s Word Translation):

³⁰You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our righteousness, our holiness, and our ransom from sin.

So when the accuser comes to point out how you don’t deserve God’s grace, agree, and thank God for Christ and think of Him, not your own shortcomings.  Since you are righteous in God’s eyes, you will attain life  and favor from the Lord (Proverbs 11:19, 12:2)!