The Practice of Righteousness

UV 3554/10000 The Practice of Righteousness If you know that He is absolutely righteous, you know (for certain) that everyone who practices righteousness (doing what is right and conforming to God’s will) has been born of Him. I John 2 v 29 Mere knowledge is not enough to confirm our spiritual re-birth in Christ. We need to practice righteousness as Christ did. We need to abide by His will. Once we are born of God, we need to grow downward with our roots and upward with our shoots and branches in all directions. Growing downward with our roots requires us to absorb more and more spiritual nutrients and life enhancing water from the Word. Growing upward requires us to bear the nine spiritual fruit that the Holy Spirit engenders in us. Growing downward is invisible while growing upward is visible. Mere physical or intellectual growth is not God-ordained. We need to grow like Jesus during His childhood on Earth, not in knowledge but in wisdom-the application of godly knowledge. Whatever we learn from Him has to be tested in the crucible of our experience. When we do so, we grow in the favour of God. Our influence as salt ( invisible) and as light (visible and manifest to others) will keep expanding. Our territory of responsibility will also increase as we grow. It is not enough for us to know that God is perfect but we should aim to be perfect like Him, imitate Him in all we do. As we aspire for perfection, the Lord will enable us by His grace to practice righteousness, to be just, to be humble, to be self controlled, to be unselfish, forgiving and helpful to others. He sends us the Holy Spirit to remove the barriers to understanding God’s will and from doing it. He strengthens our spirits, wills and hearts, to overcome our inherent weaknesses and the temptations of the enemy.