RighteousnessSample

What Glorifies God?

In a study by Scientific American, researchers suggested that most humans only use about 10% of their potential. This means that the majority of us, on a daily basis in every moment of our lives, are functioning within 10% of the capacity that God has put on the inside of us.

I have enjoyed a full life. I am still fairly young, but the wealth of my experiences is probably worth two lifetimes for someone my age. Not only do I have a story, but I also have a testimony. Or one or two, perhaps countless expressions of how I see God calling me to excellence in all areas of life, rescuing me from self-destruction, delivering me from cycles of pain, challenging my ideas of success, revealing his will and supernatural power - I can go on and on. I have a lot to be thankful for. And I’m sure you do too.

But I can’t help but wonder if, in my daily living and activities, I’m actually operating at my highest capacity. I mean, sometimes I feel like I am. But sometimes, I feel like I’m only scratching the surface. I have always expected excellence to be the standard for everything and everyone, and most importantly, for me. That means I’m pretty hard on myself. No matter what’s on my resume or how well I exceed in an area, who claps or congratulates me, or how many likes I get, I still feel like I haven't done anything special. Whatever was done or accomplished was just simply me meeting the standard.

If we apply that to the concept of righteousness, we might discover a similar approach. Righteousness sounds like one of those big, strict church words from the Bible, so let’s frame it up in real-life terms. Righteousness means pursuing the character of God. It simply means “one who is right.” It means learning God’s standard and mirroring it with all your might. Righteousness is the only standard that is acceptable to him. It has less to do with your behavior and more to do with your heart. It has less to do with being better than others and more to do with being better to others. It is the understanding that living life God’s way brings Him glory. Righteousness means that my heart and actions align with how God has instructed me to live my life. When I deviate from that, I am convicted to immediately return to what I know is right and best. When I lean all the way and commit fully, God is glorified.

Spend time meditating on these scriptures:

Jeremiah 23:6

Proverbs 15:9

2 Corinthians 5:21

Answer these questions and reflect on your answers:

1. Do you question if you are living life to your fullest potential? What feelings come up?
2. What does righteousness look like in your everyday life? What examples can you point to?
3. In what ways have you felt God steering you in the direction of righteousness for His glory?

Affirm and declare these statements:

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

I will pursue righteousness to live a godly life.

I thank God that he leads me in paths of righteousness.

Pray in petition to God to pursue His will and way.