Skip to main content

Righteousness and Love

             Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. (Proverbs 21:21)

One of the tropes of the old Scooby Doo cartoons is that when they pulled the mask off of the villain, they were surprised at who the villain was. In the Bullwinkle cartoon, Bullwinkle often said, “What me pull a rabbit out of this hat,” and as Rocky lamented, “That trick never works.” So often, the things we chase after elude us. Sometimes it’s a competition, and somehow, they are faster, stronger, etc. Other times, it’s a game of hide-and-seek. We look, but somehow the hiding place is just too good – sometimes right in front of our faces.

Today’s verse hints at this. It doesn’t tell us that if we pursue righteousness and love that we’ll find righteousness and love. It says we’ll find life, prosperity, and honor. While it doesn’t quite say it, the verse suggests that if we pursue life, prosperity, and honor, we won’t get them. To get them, we must pursue righteousness and love.

What does pursuing righteousness and love look like? I suspect it doesn’t look like a dating ap or an evening at a bar, looking for someone to treat us right and love us. Pursuing love isn’t treating it as a prize to be won or a gift we are given (at least in this context.) Pursuing righteousness isn’t taking someone to court to force them to behave rightly. It could involve our standing up with someone for their rights, but I suspect this verse primarily refers to our doing what is right and our loving. When we do something wrong, we pursue righteousness by repentance, confession, and making things right in terms of our involvement in the wrongdoing.

As I read the verse, the other idea that came to mind is that righteousness and love are character traits. They describe the kind of person we are.  To the extent that we are righteous and loving, the result will be life, prosperity, and honor. But if we pretend righteousness and love to reap the profit of life, prosperity, and honor, we are not righteous or loving, and will not reap the reward. It’s only when the character itself is the reward that the others will follow. Unless we build the foundation of character, the building we try to put on top of it will crumble.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more