Righteousness
At the beginning of one’s walk with God, there are certain bible verses that are repeated to you. One of the many series of verses are the beatitudes. They’re the blessings that Yeshua tells on His sermon on the Mound, which can be found in Matthew 5:3 - 12.
The verse that we are reading this week finds itself in Matthew 5:10, which states:
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
- Matthew 5:10
There are two main concepts that I would like to tackle with you. The first off begins with the definition of the word ‘righteousness’. It is defined as being ‘’the quality of being morally right or justifiable.’ But justified by what? In fact, Yeshua was referring to God’s justice and His laws.
This leads to the second concept, that of following said laws. Yeshua knew that there would be people who would be persecuted for following it. Today, people may find it unpopular and “old-fashioned” to do so. They are living “under grace”. Therefore they shun those who follow the laws established by the Lord. But Yeshua never came to abolish it, in fact, he blessed those who followed it through the difficulties posed by men who followed their flesh and not the Spirit.
Associated verses: James 1:12, 1 Peter 3:13 - 14, Psalm 37:12, Revelations 2:10
Think about it: Do you follow the spirit or the flesh? Are you a person who would consider themselves righteous? Do you follow the law as the Lord prescribed them?
Prayer: This week, focus on what stops you from being righteous before God. Pray to Yahweh so that He may remove the things that make you fall into sin and lawlessness. Present yourself to Him, seeking His love and strength so that you may continue to persevere through persecution.