In Acknowledge God’s Gift Of Righteousness and Fall In Love With God’s Righteousness I mentioned the three practical things to do in pursuing godly righteousness. The fourth thing to do is:
Make righteousness a goal.
Set it as a goal; and put it right in front of you. Say to yourself, “ I will be righteous. I’m not going to commit a sin. Everybody else can do it, but not me.”
The bible says:
“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”
~Daniel 1: 8
I remember when I was a student at the University of Nigeria, UNN, it was popular to have girlfriends – I mean in the church. In Christian fellowships on campus, everyone was hanging out with somebody. Every brother had a sister they were hanging out with. I became the vice president of our departmental fellowship, and I said to them, “Look, you’re committing a sin. It’s boyfriend and girlfriend relationships that you’re involved in. Stop it! You’re just using masks in the name of exchanging tapes, and books.”
Stop fooling around! You don’t have a house; you don’t have a job, leave that girl alone. When you start dating without a job, you’re a hypocrite. What you’re just doing is entertainment; you’re entertaining your flesh. That energy you’re expending to chase that girl, use it to get a house. Start earning income.
Sometimes on campus, you see somebody in first year already dating somebody else in the same first year, and they have five more years to go at college. He doesn’t have a house; he doesn’t have a job; but he’s involved in a relationship. That’s wrong; first get ready.
So make it a goal to pursue righteousness. For instance, you can set a goal that you won’t lie. When you make that decision, you notice that you will start to avoid certain company, and certain places. Because there are situations that you come into, and you start telling lies. You start maneuvering yourself away from those situations. Then you will notice that you’ve stopped talking carelessly. You don’t make promises quickly; you don’t say things easily. You seize control over your mouth.
Make it a goal that you will be righteous. Set a goal that you will holy; that’s how to pursue godly righteousness.
Memory Verse:
Daniel 1: 8
“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I make it my goal to pursue righteousness and holiness in all that I do, in Jesus’ mighty name.
Amen.