Right or Righteous

Do you have those days where you open your Bible and after reading something you respond with an "Oh, me"? Those are the days I wish my Bible had a hole in the center of the page. However, we are to live out the Bible in its entirety.

As Christians, I believe many of us truly have the desire to live that way. So what happens? Pride, selfishness, jealousy, greed or denial sets up camp in our thoughts and causes us to stumble. When we accept Jesus in our heart, the head (our thoughts), tends to be a slow learner. I guess that is where "hard headed" comes into play. For me, I find myself often trying to be right instead of righteous.

Ridley and I were talking to our son, Harrison, last night about a boy at school who was bragging and boasting about being the best baseball player. You could see that the daily antagonizing was wearing him out. Harrison was probably correct that this boy was not the best baseball player at the school, however we were trying to remind Harrison that he doesn't have to convince the boy that he is right because Jesus knows the truth. I tried to explain to him that it is normal to be upset or angry, but how we respond to that is where maturity and responsibility come into play. Oh me! As I was parenting, the Holy Spirit was parenting me. I often say if you catch yourself saying "Oh me" or "what?", that is probably the Holy Spirit speaking.

As I went to bed, I pondered on the 1 Peter verse in chapter 3:14 "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed." There are so many times it just doesn't feel like a blessing. In this world, I think we long for a life free of difficulties, but that is false hope. We are told in His Word that we will have trouble in this world. The problem free life is in heaven.

So, I am praying today that my head will catch up and fully grasp the concept of Hosea 14:9 "The ways of the Lord (not Lisa) are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them."

We can't always be right, but we can always be righteous. It's a choice!