FROM THE SERVANT GENERAL
OUR THEME FOR 2025
(Part 7)
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GOD’S LAW
October 15, 2024
Today’s reading:
Galatians 5:1-6
Psalm 119:41,43-45,47-48
Our hope abounds because of God. But for there to be such hope, we need to be right with God and obedient to His law.
Paul says, “For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.” (Gal 5:5). Another translation renders this: “We are led by the Spirit to wait in the confident hope of saving justice through faith.” (NJB). Righteousness and justice are interchangeable in the Bible (note: check out Appendix A on Justice Versus Righteousness in the book 24/7 for Jesus). Our confident hope is in God as we put our faith in Jesus and are docile to the Spirit. This way we are right with God as we act justly to all.
The psalmist says, “for in your judgments is my hope.” (Ps 119:43b). We must be obedient to God’s ways and laws (commandments, precepts). We learn of God’s ways and laws in the Bible, which we must read every day, meditate on, and study. In the Bible we learn:
- Of God’s mercy and faithful love (Ps 119:41a).
- Of God’s promise of salvation (Ps 119:41b).
- Of walking in God’s freedom (Ps 119:45).
As such our proper posture towards God’s law as revealed in the Bible is as follows:
- We cannot live without it. We should not want to be deprived of it. “Do not take the word of truth from my mouth” (Ps 119:43a).
- We strive to be true to God’s word. “I will keep your law always, for all time and forever.” (Ps 119:44).
- We are to love and be delighted in God’s law. “I delight in your commandments, which I dearly love.” (Ps 119:47).
- We take hold of God’s law and devour it as we meditate on and study it. “I lift up my hands to your commandments; I study your statutes, which I love.” (Ps 119:48).
Do all the above, and you will have abounding hope.
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