This walk towards righteousness with Christ is one of absolute dependency. Yesterday I rose with great hope of meeting a mark, standing strong and sharing all that I could with others. Last night I clutched my pillow with a downcast spirit feeling dissatisfied with my meager accomplishments. The measuring stick I beat myself with(fodder for another blog),didn’t register any earth moving activity in my day, Shocking because that afternoon, the earth literally shook beneath my feet and I was too caught up in selecting groceries to feel it.
Have you ever missed something big...like a five point something earthquake and wondered how it was possible? It’s like being in the middle of a party and missing out on the fun because you’re lost in an internal battle: someone hurt your feelings or you feel unimportant, outside the “ in crowd”. Maybe it was your wedding day and you were so caught up in the details of putting on the best affair that you were absent walking down the aisle. For some the beach, the vacation…even the golf course is merely landscape because your mind is back at the office. Tragically, this is often the case with our children. “Mom… mom…MOM!” my son at times has to say in order to snap me back into the present.
This sort of thing happens with many of us. While we yearn to be present and to live in the now, we simply fail. Why? Some of us are anchored to the past by wounds and transgressions and others are cast into the future through dissatisfaction. Living in the now takes courage and strength, purpose and peace. Oswald Chambers addresses the need for determination to live in the moment;
“Your choice must be a deliberate determination—it is not something into which you will automatically drift.”
The apostle Paul speaks my language in his confession of fleshy failure, (Romans 7). I too long to be righteous like Christ moment by moment, only to find I am bound in a prison of flesh. Christ however, has overcome the flesh and therefore, when I am engaged with Jesus, I too can live…powerfully live… in the now. The key is managing not the flesh as much as my will.
“A person’s will is embodied in the actions of the whole person. I cannot give up my will—I must exercise it, putting it into action. I must will to obey, ” (Chambers).
My daughter-in-law Tammy is a fitness instructor. She is often referred to as a real life Barbie. While some might judge her (and others in shape) as exceptions to the fat rule, the truth is she works hard to take care of her body. Exercise is part of her life--not because she can’t wait to get to the gym and work herself into a pool of sweat-- but because Tammy chooses to “exercise” her will to do what she knows is good for her body. The blessing is a fit form and freedom to enjoy one of her amazing desserts! Tammy inspires me in this area of my life. In fact my aching muscles attest to this…my legs are burning from taking her step class!
Righteousness is something we do not posses without Christ. The bible tells us there is not one who is righteous (Ecclesiastes 7:20). However, when we have Jesus’ Holy Spirit within us, we gain the inspiration and strength to live righteously and here we find a call to living in the now. Through righteous faith, we forgive others—for we also are sinners-- which frees us from anchors of bitterness and anger. Righteous attitudes will be thankful and content allowing us to remain present and not always fishing for the future.
Righteous living to me is like exercise is to Tammy. I don’t always want to do the right thing, take the high ground or forgive others. Yet, I want to look like Jesus. So I choose to exercise my will and do what the Lord wants me to, rather than what this sinful flesh wants to.
The results of exercising our will will vary in our lives. However the truth remains; righteous actions will produce measurable movement of God in our life and we will find less of what truly matters escaping our notice.
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective,” (James 5:16NIV).
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