Righteousness: It Might Not Be What We Think It Is

This is a good piece written by Pastor Deb Grant for her daily emailed inspirations, ELOGOS:

Jeremiah 33:16
In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

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In order to reach a new generation, we are having to look carefully at the "church" words that we throw around expecting that everyone understands what they mean. Righteousness is one of those words that make our young people glaze over because it isn't a word that is a part of their daily discourse. Chances are righteousness is never thumbed into a text message. We know that a self-righteous person is not anyone we want to be or be around. We throw out the baby with the bath water by letting go of righteousness all together. It is a state of being that we all desparately need. We need to know that we are exactly where we need to be and exactly who we need to be in relationship to ourselves, our world and our God. We can't declare that for ourselves without sounding arrogant and ignoring God. God offers himself to us so that, in him, we are made right. We may not fling the word righteousness around on a daily basis but it is knowing that who we are is completely made right in God that helps us fall asleep at night.

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Lord God, help us to stand in the right place at the right time for the right reason and enjoy the moment. Amen.

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ELOGOS is written by Deb Grant, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, Dickinson, Texas. Replies to ELOGOS are read only by Pastor Grant. Deb Grant is the author of ELOGOS in book form and Pedestrian Theology - both titles are available at Amazon.com. Grant's website: www.jazzwater.com. You can subscribe to the daily ELOGOS inspirations at that site.