DRAWING NEAR
December 15
The Lover of Righteousness
"Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous
scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. Thou hast loved
righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Thy God,
hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy
companions" (Heb. 1:8-9).
As the eternal God and King, Christ loves righteousness and hates
lawlessness.
In these days it's difficult for us as Christians to be totally
supportive of our governmental leaders when we see so much of what
God calls righteous compromised or ridiculed. But the King of kings
--Christ Himself--is the only leader who has a perfectly right
attitude toward righteousness.
Christ rules from an eternal throne, and He rules eternity as God and
King. The scepter He holds is symbolic of His rule, particularly as a
rule of righteousness.
But there's more to it than that: He just doesn't act righteously; He
loves righteousness itself. How often have we obeyed without joy,
expressing an attitude of willing condescension? But Jesus gives us a
different model.
James 1:17 says, "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is
no variation, or shifting shadow." True righteousness never varies
from what is true, just, and good. And 1 John 1:5 says, "God is
light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." God is total light
and total righteousness. Everything Jesus did resulted from His love
of righteousness.
Because Christ loves righteousness, He hates lawlessness. Since He
loves what is right, He must hate what is wrong. The two are
inseparable--one cannot exist without the other. You cannot truly
love righteousness and also like sin. When there is true love for
God, there will also be true love for righteousness and total hatred
of sin.
The more you and I become conformed to Jesus Christ, the more we will
love righteousness. Our attitudes toward righteousness and sin will
ultimately reveal how closely we are conformed to Christ. Check out
your attitudes and actions. How are you doing?
Suggestion for Prayer:
Like the psalmist, ask God to show you any hurtful way in you (Ps.
139:24).
For Further Study:
Read Psalm 119 and note how many times the psalmist makes reference
to either his love for God's law or righteousness.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Psalm 139:24
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way
everlasting.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@wowway.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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There is a living God. He has spoken in His word. He means just what he says, and will do all that He has promised. - Hudson Taylor
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