The Pursuing Righteousness and Love of God in Christ Jesus!

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” – Proverbs 21:21 NIV

We should pursue righteousness and love, for there are life, prosperity and honor. However, we shouldn’t pursue them for worldly matters, but for the Lord since “we know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19) We can see the reason for this in 1 John 2:15-17:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Hence, we should stay focused on heavenly matters rather than worldly ones. This is because our actual citizenship is in heaven, even though we are born from this world. (Philippians 3:18-21, 2 Corinthians 5:1)

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

“Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:7-14)

Therefore, let’s first change our minds from the flesh into the Spirit to produce godly desires instead of worldly desires. In other words, in order to produce godly desires, we ought to abide into the Spirit (John 14:26-27) as well as abiding into the word of God. (Hebrews 4:12) This is because without godly desires, following Jesus Christ becomes legalistic and eventually we would give up.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

His [Jesus Christ’s] divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3-8)

I believe “whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” (Proverbs 21:21) is true in the spiritual sense. This is because our God is God of the righteousness and the justice. And this verse relates to the reason why Jesus Christ was crucified. He was crucified to make us to become the righteousness of God. For this reason, I believe that we would find life, prosperity and honor in Christ, if we keep pursuing the righteousness and love of God with full-devotion.

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4 ESV)