FW: THE PURSUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

[Dawn Eden]

 

 

Sent from Windows Mail

 

From: DAVID WILKERSON TODAY
Sent: ‎11‎ ‎March‎ ‎2013 ‎08‎:‎43
To: devoti...@lists.worldchallenge.org
Subject: THE PURSUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

David Wilkerson Today

A Ministry of World Challenge



MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013



THE PURSUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

by Gary Wilkerson





Have you pursued righteousness without success? Have you said, “That’s the

last time I’ll commit this sin,” only to commit it the next day? Have you

prayed, “Lord, whatever it takes, I’m going to stir up zeal in my heart,”

only to cool off and fall into your old habits? When you didn’t succeed, did

you try harder? And did you keep failing?



At some point in all this you may have wondered, “Why didn’t God help me? I

have such a passion to be righteous, but I fail time after time.” So, where is

God when it comes to our sanctification? Where is His help when it comes to

leading a holy life?



“They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2,

ESV). Paul was saying that Israel was wrong in their view of God’s

righteousness. They thought they needed only to know what to do, but Paul says

that attaining righteousness is about Who we know. Like Israel, by faith in

Christ we have access to God’s all-prevailing righteousness. But we can

reject that access as easily as they did—by relying on our performance

instead of on faith in Jesus’ work for us.



God will not bless an effort to establish one’s own righteousness. He blesses

only the work of His Son, Jesus. We are sanctified—our holy walk is

sustained—only by faith in Christ and His shed blood on our behalf. In this

way, Paul says, Israel refused to “submit to God’s righteousness.” How

often do we tell ourselves, “I can live righteously,” but then we do not

trust in Jesus’ provision for righteousness? Here are four indications that

we are zealous for our own righteousness instead of God’s:



  * We get angry when we fail. We think, “I expect better of myself.”

  * We get proud when we succeed. We tell ourselves, “I’m more spiritual

than before.”

  * We judge others’ failures. We think, “Thank God, I’m not like him.”

  * We get jealous of others’ successes. We think, “Why doesn’t my

pursuit of righteousness work like theirs?"



When we fail, we ratchet up our efforts. The problem is, we didn’t establish

our righteousness in the first place—God did. Being restored to right

standing with Him does not happen because of anything we do. It happens by

faith in Him. This calls for a repentant heart and brokenness—a humble

acknowledgment that His power alone restores us to right standing.



 







Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/22012?src=devo-email





Pulpit Series Newsletters

================================================================================



A Perfect Heart, 02.18.13

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/coverletter/2013/a-perfect-heart?src=devo-email



Show Us Your Glory, 01.28.13

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/coverletter/2013/show-us-your-glory?src=devo-email



Peace of Mind in These Troubled Times, 01.07.13

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/coverletter/2013/peace-of-mind-in-these-troubled-times?src=devo-email





Sermons By Gary Wilkerson

================================================================================



Escalating Peace, 09.01.07

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/2358?src=devo-email



Memzar to Schmica: The Outcast Has Something Only From God, 11.05.05

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/4727?src=devo-email



12 Stones: Fire, 03.14.10

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/sermons/gary-wilkerson/12-stones/fire?src=devo-email





                               

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



For more sermons by David Wilkerson visit our Pulpit Series Newsletters

[http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/pulpit_series_newsletters?src=devo-email] and

Sermon Center [http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/sermons?src=devo-email]



Audio sermons by David and Gary Wilkerson are also available via our audio

podcast in iTunes [http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=294033386]



Connect with World Challenge [http://twitter.com/world_challenge] and Gary

Wilkerson [http://twitter.com/garywilkerson]



Connect with World Challenge

[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lindale-TX/World-Challenge-Inc/35064056893] and

Gary Wilkerson [https://www.facebook.com/pastorgarywilkerson]



(c)2013 World Challenge, Inc.



You are welcome to make copies for FREE distribution or retransmit the

devotional via e-mail, but all devotionals must be copied or retransmitted in

their entirety. However, devotionals may not be posted on any website, printed,

or used in any media without written permission from World Challenge, Inc. Each

request is considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact World Challenge,

Inc. using our online contact form

[http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/contact?src=devo-email] or by calling (903)

963-8626



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



To receive the HTML version of this newsletter send a blank email to

sy...@lists.worldchallenge.org with the subject "set devotions-en html".  Do

not include the quotes.



To receive the multipart (text & HTML) version of this newsletter send a blank

email to sy...@lists.worldchallenge.org with the subject "set devotions-en

mail".  Do not include the quotes.



To unsubscribe from this mailing list send a blank email to

devotions-en...@lists.worldchallenge.org or unsubscribe online

[http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/wc/mailing_list/unsubscribe?src=devo-email].



To subscribe to this mailing list visit our online subscription screen

[http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/wc/mailing_list/subscribe?src=devo-email].