Acquiring Divine Righteousness
Greetings, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to explore
the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly Father has revealed
many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. Today, we contemplate what
it means to acquire divine righteousness.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Acquiring Divine Righteousness
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to
hear, let him hear." Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 43.
There are constant moral demands that life makes. They are of such a nature that they force us to choose
good over evil. Sometimes it seems as though we are caught between a rock and a hard place, so difficult
are these decisions. And these moral decisions grow increasingly more difficult to resolve. The moral decay
of some in our society attests to our failures to make correct moral decisions.
But what is the correct way to respond to these kaleidoscopic scenes of moral change? Do we naturally
contain the right response to rapidly unfolding moral events? We know that our basic human nature is
selfish, though once we enter the kingdom of heaven, we can be empowered by the Spirit of Truth, the
Comforter. When we are confronted with a moral situation, there is a decision that has to be made. Our
primary thoughts are concerned with the immediate consequences to ourselves. How will the decision effect
our immediate comfort?
But the spirit of the heavenly Father urges us to make decisions that are best for other selves, as Jesus
would. Acquiring the viewpoint of Jesus means acquiring divine righteousness morally and spiritually; that
is, recognizing a righteousness that is greater than the self. Self righteousness can never fathom the wisdom
behind seeking the greatest good for all other selves. We are endowed with the power to choose thusly
because of the gift of faith.
Acquiring divine righteousness means that we desire to allow the character of Jesus to manifest itself in and
through us. It is futile to attempt to do right on the outside--with our actions-- if we are not right on the inside--
with our thinking. Acquiring divine righteousness is a progressive experience, and is received by faith, by
submitting to the Father's will as revealed by the Spirit of Truth. The persistence of the desire for divine
righteousness eventuates in a righteous character. The consciousness of a righteous character takes delight
in doing things the right way, the divine way. The supreme joy of the righteous character is doing the
Father's will as manifested in the divine Son, Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, if we want to pursue divine righteousness, we must only concern ourselves with the
doing of the Father's will, not with the results thereof. Preoccupation with results can only bring confusion
to our minds. Until we attain divine perfection, we can never fully grasp the wholeness of the Father's will.
We can only discern its partial effects. Only the pursuit of the whole--the divine will--produces goodness.
Whence comes the power to display a righteous character? We must remain connected to the power source
by unbroken communion with the Father, who is the source of all power. To use this power, we must
continually subject our will to the Father's will. By being hooked to an endless source, we will never deplete
moral and spiritual capacities. Our yearning for goodness will constantly increase as we display ever
increasing amounts of patience, mercy, and forgiveness, and as we keep on divinely loving one another.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the acquirement of divine righteousness.
We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day. Until next
time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
Acquiring Divine Righteousness
