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Righteousness


My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long. (Psalm 35:28)

            Do I really think the Lord is righteous? When I can't find something, when I get sick, when I want something I know God could do something about, when the universe doesn't revolve around me, do I really think God is righteous? Do I believe it enough to praise Him for it? I have to confess, righteousness is not the first term that comes to mind when I'm not happy. So, since Scripture is clear that God is righteous and worthy of praise for His righteousness, some research is in order. 
            The Hebrew word for "righteousness" is used to describe someone acting in accordance with appropriate standards. How should a god - the God - act? This is always an interesting area of consideration. First, God should act like a spiritual being, not a physical one. He should not be subject to physical laws, which means that He cannot be subjected to the scientific method. I've asked atheists what they would consider proof of God's existence and invariably, they demand a physical manifestation - usually one that is demeaning and silly. When I've pointed out that such a physical manifestation would not really prove God's existence, they've admitted that I'm right, but they never seem to come up with an answer. That's convenient but dishonest. If you don't know what you're looking for, it's not someone else's fault when you don't find it - it's yours.
           God should not be dependent on nature or the universe or any part thereof.  God should act like a god, and not like a human. God should act like a person, not a machine. God should take responsibility for His choices and actions. 
          If you read about the god of the various other religions, you'll find most of them fall short even of this basic list. They act like people with lots of power over something other than themselves and don't take responsibility for their actions any better than the average spoiled brat. Many of them were born and thus not only aren't eternal, but were dependent on someone or something else for their existence. Those who are credited with having created the universe rather than being part of it are seen as uninvolved with it, and therefore irresponsible to it.
           We may not understand why God does something or allows something to happen, but that's not the same as there not being a reason. Our lack of understanding sometimes leads us to make judgments that God is not righteous, but that's unrighteous of us, because our judgment is made without sufficient examination of the question. The closer one looks, the clearer it becomes that God is righteous and should be praised for it.

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In the Sky:
Cold or Frost Moon (Moonrise 5:43 est)

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