Seeking Righteousness without Sustenance

Seeking Righteousness without Sustenance

Hearing from a homily that Righteousness is a blessedness we all might think about has its qualifications.  We hear about the Righteousness of God and how he deals with the problems of disregarding his Omnipotence by others.    

Righteousness is more than just a noun that represents an untouchable entity without a sustaining directive that gives man a look into who God is.  “Come here and declare in counsel together; Who announced this from the beginning and foretold it from of old?  Was it not I, the Lord, besides whom there is no other God?  There is no just and saving God but me.”  (Is 45: 21).  “For the Lord’s word is true; all his words are trustworthy.”  (Ps 33: 4).

For in their unawareness of the righteousness that comes from God and their attempt to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for the justification of everyone who has faith.  (Rom 10: 3 - 4).  

When we hear the term self-righteous regarding some people who think they have the ability to sustain their wanton ideas and fall short of what it takes to become righteous, we better take another look at this person.  

Finding righteousness in everyone is not possible in a world that continues to pull at our beliefs that we are perfect and have no need to change.  God is righteous because he is perfection personified.  Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.  It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:  for Jews first and then Greek.  For it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.”  (Rom 1: 16 - 17).

The sustenance we need to maintain a righteous outlook in this world does not come as in osmosis;  it must be reached by supporting life itself for health and the livelihood of each individual person.  Once we find the strength of character within ourselves then the delivery of this attribute will certainly give us the means to a righteous character.  The deeper spiritual quality of one person being right in God’s eyes is the morally correct manner that God looks for in each person.  Sustaining this single attribute becomes the fulfillment of our acceptance to be one with Almighty God.  

An adverse attitude toward being perfect will only keep any one of us on the negative side of finding just what righteousness should be.  Each person must become the very replica of God’s own perfection and then the manner of sustenance towards righteousness will fall into place.

Ralph B. Hathaway