Refreshing

Daily
in Gods Word
Emphasis on

Righteousness
 Every word of God is pure: he is a
shield unto them that put their trust
in him.
Proverbs 30:5
Righteousness Defined
March 1
 Bible Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
Key Verse: Verse 6 - Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall
be filled."
Key Words: Blessed are they which do hunger and
thirst after righteousness

In college I took a course in word study and our

professor would remind us often that you cant properly
define a word by using the same word in the definition. For
example, you cant define righteousness by saying that which
is right because youre not thoroughly giving a clear
definition. Now you have to define the word right and this
could go on endlessly. So lets define the word right from both
the Greek and Hebrew. In the Greek its a builders term: the
bubble is in the middle, or bring your life on the level with
Gods Word. In the Hebrew it means that which is acceptable
to God.
So in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the people
that they should hunger and thirst after a life that is on the
level with Gods Word, a life that is acceptable to God.
In the Antarctic summer of 1908-9, Sir Ernest
Shackleton and three companions attempted to travel to the
South Pole from their winter quarters. They set off with four
ponies to help carry the load. Weeks later, their ponies dead,
rations all but exhausted, they turned back toward their base,
their goal not accomplished. Altogether, they trekked 127
days. On the return journey, as Shackleton records in The
Heart of the Antarctic, the time was spent talking about food
-- elaborate feasts, gourmet delights, sumptuous menus. As
they staggered along, suffering from dysentery, not knowing
whether they would survive, every waking hour was occupied
with thoughts of eating. Jesus, who also knew the ravages of
food deprivation, said, "Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness." We can understand Shackleton's
obsession with food, which offers a glimpse of the passion
Jesus intends for our quest for righteousness.
What to do:
May we hunger and thirst after a life that is on the
level with Gods Word, a life acceptable to God.
 ********************

Righteousness for His Names

Sake
March 2

Bible Reading: Psalm 23

Key Verse: Verse 3- He restoreth my soul: he leadeth
me in the paths of righteousn ess for his name's sake.
Key Words: leadeth me in the paths of right
-eousness for his names sake

God never leads us down an unrighteous path. He never

leads us to disobey His Word or commit acts which are not
acceptable to Him.
This is one of the ways by which we can know Gods will.
Adam and Eve knew that eating the forbidden fruit was
against Gods Word. They knew it would be unacceptable to
God, but pride took over and they only cared about
themselveswhich I am sure gave Satan and his demonic
angels a big laughwhich is one of the reasons we live
righteously for Gods name sake. When we fail to live
righteously we defame and bring shame on the very name of
God.
As a boy growing up I would often hear my dad say, Now,
kids, we dont have much by earthly standards. We lived in
an 800 square foot house and I had two pairs of pants, two
shirts, and two pairs of socks, and one pair of shoes. We
never went out to eat. We seldom had soft drinks around; we
would drink water, tea or milk. But dad would always say,
We dont have much, but we do have a name. Dont destroy
it!
We live righteously for His name sake.

What to do:
Dont disgrace Gods name with your life.
 ********************

Fellowshipping with
Righteousness
March 3

Bible Reading: II Corinthians 6

Key Verse: Verse 14 Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness?"
Key Words: what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness

When Paul talks about being yoked together, he is

talking about a permanent relationship like marriage,
business ventures, and yes, even church membership.
You cant yoke together one who lives their life
acceptable to God, they live their life on the level with Gods
Word, and one who doesnt. Conflict is inevitable.
A man went to the airport, and he ran into this pretty,
pretty girl. They began talking, and they began to click with
each other. Something was happening; fire was starting to
ignite. He finally asked her, Where are you flying to?
She said, I am flying to Canada. Where are you flying
to?
The man replied, I am flying to Mexico. And then he
came up with a bright idea: Why dont we get on the same
plane?
What he didnt think of in his stricken state is that it is
impossible for two people to travel together when ones going
up and the others going down.
When steam rises, it goes up. When snowflakes fall,
they come down. Theyre made of the same thing; they are
both water. But they are both going in two different
directions. Snow cant hang out with steam, and steam cant
hang out with snow. Why? Because even though theyre
made of the same basic stuff, they are not headed in the same
direction.
So I ask: what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness?

What to do:
Be careful who you yoke up with.

********************

Created in Righteousness
March 4

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:17-25

Key Verse: Verses 24 And that ye put on the new,
which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness."
Key Words: God is created in righteousness

There are certainly things in life that we need to put

off such as lying, bitterness, anger, corrupt communication,
just to name a few. But there are things we need to put on as
well: kindness, tender-heartedness, forgivenessagain, just to
name a few of those things we need to put on.
Our appearance, attitude, demeanorthese things are
important and are a part of a righteous life, not to be saved
but because we are saved and we represent the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords.
Some time back our ambassador to Israel was
speaking to a group that I was a part of. He was dressed very
elegantly, his demeanor was beyond reproach. After he had
finished with our address, our moderator said, (all because we
were dressed in dress-up casual) I should have told you how
we would be dressed. The ambassador responded, Thank
you but it wouldnt have mattered. I would have dressed the
same way. Because everywhere I go, I represent our
president. I would never want him to be disappointed with
me.
 Everywhere we go, we should put on righteousness so
our Heavenly Father will never be disappointed with us.
Amen!

What to do:
Put on righteousness.

********************

Getting Back to Righteousness

March 5

Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:1-11

Key Verse: Verse 11 Now no chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit
of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby."
Key Words: no chastening for the present seemeth
to be joyous

As a boy growing up, I received my fair share of

whoopings. Now I will confess to you that you would have
never heard me say, Hallelujah! Praise God! Amen! Glory to
God! I never rejoiced in getting my backside whooped. But
I will admit that they did restore me back to a proper attitude
and action! They did yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness;
and that is why God chastens us, not because He doesnt love
us, but because He does and He wants us back on the path of
righteousness.
There is a story told about a little boy who was out in a
pond. He had his little toy boat floating on the pond and the
boat began to drift way out. He couldnt get it. A man came
by and saw the boat way out in the pond and he did something
very interesting. He picked up stones and threw them on the
other side of the boat. He threw them beyond where the boat
was. The boy didnt understand what the man was trying to
do. The stones were causing quite a disturbance in the water.
Something very interesting began to happen. As the man
threw the stones out in the pond, they created ripples of water
that moved backward toward where he and the boy were
standing. Those ripples slowly pushed the boat back to shore.
Thats how Gods discipline is. When we wander away
from Him in the sea of sin and pond of depravity, God throws
the disturbing actions of His loving discipline in order to push
us back onshore. God wants to push us back to where we
should never have wandered from in the first place.

What to do:
Rejoice that God loves you so much that He wants
you back on the path of righteousness.

********************

The Fruit of Righteousness

March 6

Bible Reading: James 3:9-18

Key Verse: Verse 18 And the fruit of righteousness
is sown in peace of them that make peace."
Key Words: fruit of righteousness is sown in peace

Simply stated, you cannot have peace without

righteousness. All one has to do is look in Gods Word. Adam
and Eve had no peace because they lacked righteousness.
Jonah lacked peace because righteousness was missing in his
life. Peter lacked peace when he lied on three occasions about
not knowing Jesus.
Imagine a man who has been in an automobile
accident. His leg is twisted out of its socket, and the bone is
broken. He tells the doctor, Give me a sedative quickly so
that I can be at peace and rest. I want to sleep. Just give me a
drug and go away and leave me. What a fool he would be.
No man in his right mind would say such a thing, and yet
millions are searching for some opiate of peace without
righteousness. The doctor must set the fracture and put the
leg back in its socket. Then nature will take its course, and
only then will he know healing and peace.
It is certainly thus in the sequence of Gods dealing
with man. God simply will not allow any man to know true
peace until that man first possess divine righteousness. One
reason for the terrible frustration of mankind is that peace
and joy are sought without righteousness. But without the
righteousness of God there can be no peace, and without the
peace of God there can be no joy.

What to do:
Its simple: if you want peace, there must be
righteousness in your life.

********************

Where Can the Righteousness

Run?
March 7

Bible Reading: Proverbs 18:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 10 "The name of the LORD is
a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is
safe. "
Key Words: the righteous runneth into it, and is
safe

Who we run to in the midst of adversity reveals where

our faith lies.
In 1934, Adolf Hitler summoned German church
leaders to his Berlin office to berate them for insufficiently
supporting his programs. Pastor Martin Niemoller explained
that he was concerned only for the welfare of the church and
of the German people. Hitler snapped, You conne yourself
to the church. Ill take care of the German people. Niemoller
replied, You said that I will take care of the German people.
But we too, as Christians and churchmen, have a
responsibility toward the German people. That responsibility
was entrusted to us by God, and neither you nor anyone in
this world has the power to take it from us. Hitler listened in
silence, but that evening his Gestapo raided Niemollers
rectory and a few days later a bomb exploded in his church.
During the months and years following, he was closely
watched by the secret police, and in June 1937, he preached
these words to his church: We have no more thought of
using our own powers to escape the arm of the authorities
than had the apostles of old. We must obey God rather than
man. He was soon arrested and placed in solitary
confinement.
Dr. Niemollers trial began on February 7, 1938. That
morning, a green uniformed guard escorted the minister from
his prison cell and through a series of underground passages
toward the courtroom. Niemoller was overcome with terror
and loneliness. What would become of him? Of his family?
His church? What tortures awaited them all?
The guards face was impassive, and he was silent as
stone. But as they exited a tunnel to ascend a nal ight of
stairs, Niemoller heard a whisper. At rst he didnt know
where it came from, for the voice was as soft as a sigh. Then
he realized that the officer was breathing in his ear the words
of Proverbs 18:10: The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
Niemoller's fear fell away and the power of that verse
sustained him through his trial and his years in Nazi
concentration camps.

What to do:
Remember in times of trial and adversity we do have
a place of safety!

The Righteousness of Faith

March 8
 Bible Reading: Romans 4:8-15
Key Verse: Verse 13 For the promise, that he should
be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to
his, through the law, but through the righteousness of
faith."
Key Words: righteousness of faith

It is important that we remember that righteousness

means that which is acceptable to God. Faith is taking God at
His Word in spite of my feelings, circumstances or apparent
consequences, I do what Gods Word tells me to do.
Faith then is doing what God tells me to do through
His Word, then God accepts my actions because they are
righteous.
But its not always easy to do righteous things by faith.
A man slipped and fell off a cliff while hiking on a
mountaintop. Luckily he was able to grab a branch on his way
down. Holding on for dear life, he looked down only to see a
rock valley some fifteen hundred feet below. When he looked
up it was twenty feet to the cliff where he had fallen.
Panicked, he yelled Help! Help! Is anybody there? Help! A
booming voice spoke up. I am here, and I will save you if you
believe in me. I believe? I believe! yelled back the man.
If you believe me, let go of the branch and then I will
save you.
The young man, hearing what the voice said, looked
down again. Seeing the rock valley below, he quickly looked
back up and shouted, Is there anybody else up there!
Like I said, its not always easy to do righteous things
by faith.

What to do:
Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Believing Unto Righteousness

March 9
 Bible Reading: Romans 10:1-10
Key Verse: Verse 10 For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation."
Key Words: For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation

Is there a certain amount that a person must believe

before they are saved? The simple answer: one must believe
unto righteousness believing that Jesus died for me, was
buried for me, and rose again for me.
Let me explain it with an illustration.
The other day in the mail, a credit card application
arrived. The credit card application said, You have been
prequalified for a $15,000 limit. This meant that I had
already been determined to be acceptable to the company.
This meant that the credit card company had already given
the OK. However, the invitation did not automatically grant
me membership. In order to get the card, I had to fill out a
form and send it in. Even though the company had already
extended the credit approval, that did not mean that I would
automatically get the card. I had to write back and say that I
wanted it.
God has already prequalified you for heaven by paying
for your sins on the cross, but He can only activate your
account if you tell Him you want Him to do so. If you still
believe that you must pay for it yourself, what youre saying is,
I dont need Your card. Ive got my own and Im going to
satisfy You by my own human efforts. A person needs to
understand that in order to receive eternal life they have to
admit that they are a sinner and therefore unable to save
themselves.

What to do:
God has prequalified you for heaven. Have you
accepted the terms of acceptance?
The Righteousness of Loving
March 10
 Bible Reading: Luke 6:27-36
Key Verse: Verse 35 But love ye your enemies, and
do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and
your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the
children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the
unthankful and to the evil."
Key Words: love ye your enemies

It is important to remember that righteousness is

living your life on a level with Gods Word. Its doing those
things which are acceptable to God, and love your enemies
just happens to be one of those things.
Its interesting to me that its not love your enemy
but rather love your enemies. I am convinced that when you
love God with all your heart, you will automatically have
enemies: many out of the church, and some maybe even
within the church. But having enemies is inevitable in Gods
service.
In his book, The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells
of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution named
Peter Miller who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed
the friendship of George Washington.
In the same town also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-
minded man who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the
pastor whenever he had the chance. One day Michael
Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter
Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead
for General George Washington to spare the life of the traitor.
No, Peter, General Washington said. I cannot grant
you the life of your friend.
My friend? exclaimed the old preacher. Hes the
bitterest enemy I have!
What? cried Washington. Youve walked seventy
miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in
different light. Ill grant your pardon. And he did.
Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to
Ephratano longer an enemy but a friend.
What to do:
 Remember, its right to love your enemies but its
certainly not easy.

********************

Thats Righteousness
March 11

Bible Reading: Mark 7:1-13

Key Verse: Verse 13 - Making the word of God of
none effect through your tradition, which ye have
delivered: and many such like things do ye."
Key Words: Making the word of God of none effect

In our text, Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees for

adding to and taking away from the Word of God to benefit
their own personal lifestyle and beliefs. I have found that to
be a common practice, not just among the Pharisees of Jesus
day, but among the believers of today as well. I read the
following story some time back that illustrates this point.
A pastor was talking with a woman who appeared to
be somewhat knowledgeable of Gods Word. The pastor
mentioned capital punishment. Oh, she said, Im against
capital punishment. I cant imagine anyone being a man of
God who believes in capital punishment. Why on earth, she
asked, would you believe such a thing? Very simple, said
the pastor, it is a basic teaching of Gods Word.
Genesis 9:5-6, And surely your blood of your lives
will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and
at the hand of man; at the hand of every mans brother will I
require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by
man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he
man.
Exodus 21:12, He that smiteth a man, so that he die,
shall be surely put to death.
Revelation 13:10, He that leadeth into captivity shall
go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be
killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of
the saints.
 After hearing all the verses of what God said in regard
to capital punishment, the lady looked at the pastor and said,
Ill go and pray and see how God guides me in the matter.
Now, at the risk of sounding crude, I say, It doesnt
matter what she does, Gods Word makes it clear on the
matter. So it should be in our lives not what we think, but
what Gods Word says.

What to do:
Act in accordance with Gods Word, not humanistic
reasoning.

********************

The Righteousness of God ~ The

Jammed Turnstile
March 12

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:13-20

Key Verse: Verse 20 "For I say unto you, That
except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in
no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
Key Words: except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees

What exactly is the righteousness of the scribes and

Pharisees according to Romans 9:32? Their righteousness is
by doing the works of the law rather than by the grace of God.
Donald Grey Barnhouse once told of a friend who did
not see well, and entered a New York subway station and
found that he needed change in order to get through the
turnstile. The man in the change booth gave him the
necessary coins, but to my friend's fingers one coin did not
feel quite right. The changemaker brusquely brushed him on
his way, saying that he knew what he had given in change. My
friend put the coin into the turnstile slot, and the mechanism
jammed. Quite angry by this time, the changemaker opened
the turnstile box, and discovered a foreign coin. An American
mechanism, geared for American coins, refused to accept the
foreign coin which he had given the man who could not see
well. Evidently, the foreign coin looked like an American one,
but the mechanism rejected it because it was not an American
coin.
Our own righteousness may pass for good coin here on
earth, but the only currency that is acceptable in heaven is
Gods perfect righteousness.

What to do:
Remember, the righteousness apart from God is not
righteousness at all.

********************

The Prodigal Son

March 13
Bible Reading: Luke 15:11-24
Key Verse: Verse 13 And not many days after the
younger son gathered all together, and took his
journey into a far country, and there wasted his
substance with riotous living."
Key Words: took his journey into a far country

The prodigal son looked at the world and saw pleasure

and looked at the father and saw no pleasure. His eyes were
open to worldly pleasure but not to Godly righteousness.
In the Benjamin Franklin Museum of Philadelphia is a
display of rocks, housed in a special room that is entered by a
corridor shrouded in darkness. The darkness is necessary to
accustom the eyes to a different light diffused in the special
exhibit room. The light in the exhibit room is an indirect
fluorescent light of rays that are ordinarily invisible to the
human eye. In the darkness this light shines upon rocks that
ordinarily appear gray and dun-brown; in the new light they
glow with a brilliance and beauty that is incredible.
So it is with the righteousness of God as seen through
the eyes of the world and as seen through the eyes of the
Spirit.
The world looks upon the righteousness of God as a
drab thing, even imagining that it robs man of the happiness
that the world promises so freely and gives so poorly. Around
the shoulders of the poorest sinner shall be draped the robe of
the divine righteousness, unto all and upon all who believe.

What to do:
Without the righteousness of God in our lives, the
greatest moment of pleasure will soon turn into our
greatest sorrow. (Just something for us all to
remember.)

********************

A Righteous Heart
March 14

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18

Key Verse: Verse 14 - Stand therefore, having your
loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness;"
Key Words: breastplate of righteousness

The purpose of the breastplate was to protect the heart

and vital organs. Spiritually we protect our heart through
righteousness.
Ive always found that my visits to the doctor were
intensely interesting in that they would check my blood
pressure, listen to my heartbeat, and check my cholesterol
level. Now, all of these deal with the heart. Its testing to see
how strong my heart is. Why? Because the heart is the key to
a healthy life. The same is true spiritually. The key to a
healthy spiritual life is the heart. Proverbs 4:23, Keep thy
heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
We cant expect to live righteously unless we protect
our heart. Three keys to a strong heart protected by
righteousness.

1. Eating: a daily diet of Gods Word consumed with

both milk and meat from Gods Word.
2. Exercise: I Timothy 4:7, But refuse profane and
old wives fables, and exercise thyself rather unto
godliness.
3. Example: I Timothy 4:12, Let no man despise thy
youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in
word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith,
in purity.

If we are to have a strong healthy heart, we must

protect it through righteousness.

What to do:
Eat right, exercise right, and be the right example.

********************

A Righteous Connection
March 15
Bible Reading: I Corinthians 1:20 & 2:11-16
Key Verse: Verse 14 - But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned."
Key Words: But the natural man

Im reminded of a story of a man who went to a

friends house to hang out and watch TV. His friend had a
small 13 color TV and they sat down together to watch a
movie. In the middle of the movie, the friend jumped up
during a commercial and announced that he was going to
have to finish watching the movie on his television.
So the man goes home, turns on his TV and cant find
the movie. He keeps changing channels but still cannot find
the movie. Even though the picture on his large screen TV is
sharp and the sound is great, he doesnt get the movie. He
had no idea that his friend, even with the small TV, was
hooked to a satellite that gave him the ability to pull down TV
stations his friend couldnt. The man with the small TV could
pull down a picture from above that his friend had no access
to. While he had a larger TV and better sound, he had no
reception from above because he didnt have cable.
As a believer and one that is righteous, you have a
connection the world doesnt have. You see things from Gods
view.
If you are a non-believer, you may have more of what
the world offers, but you have no heavenly view of the things
in the world. This is the state and condition of the natural
man. You may have the ability to pull the worlds view into
your life and home, but to get Christs view of the world, you
need a righteous connection.

What to do:
Get a righteous connection.

********************

It Starts with Righteousness

March 16

Bible Reading: Proverbs 14:8-16

Key Verse: Verse 12 - There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death."
Key Words: There is a way which seemeth right
unto a man
 When we get sick, we usually start off with over-the-
counter medication. We go to the drug store and try to find
something that we think can fix our problem and help us to
feel better. If the problem persists, at some point we break
down and say to ourselves, The problem is greater than I can
fix. Our answer isnt working, the syrup isnt doing the job,
the pills arent working, over-the-counter medication just isnt
strong enough.
Realizing that something deeper must be wrong, we
call the doctor. We have come to the place where we
recognize that we do not have the capability to get what we
need to fix whats wrong. So we go to the professional who
can diagnose and prescribe the remedy for the deeper issues
that we arent aware of.
Sometimes, in our own humanness, we simply cannot
fix our problem. Purchasing pills cant fix it, homespun
remedies cant fix it, natural medicines cant fix itbecause
there is something deeper going on. Could it be that the
reason that life isnt working for some is that they have locked
into their own human confidences, abilities, strategies,
thoughts, and mentalities? Do we keep taking over-the-
counter solutions and then wonder why inside we still feel
sick? Things on the outside, nicer cars, houses, clothes, things
do not give true blessings. True blessings start with
righteousness. Living our life based on what God says, not
what man says, not what we think, is where true blessings
come. True blessings all start with righteousness!!

What to do:
Live your life by the Word of God and you will be all
the better for doing so.

Dont Mess with A Righteous

Man
 March 17

Bible Reading: Joshua 10:8-14

Key Verse: Verse 13 - And the sun stood still, and the
moon stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in
the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst
of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole
day.
Key Words: And the sun stood still

James tells us in James 5:16 that, The effectual

fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Ive always
said that one is not very smart if he messes with the righteous
man (or woman), not because they are so mighty but because
they are on Gods side.
There is a true story of a Reverend Taylor who
pastored a church over in Jamaica. One Sunday he was
preaching and a man kept interruping the services. Reverend
Taylor would stop preaching and wait for the man to settle
down; then hed start preaching again. The man would
interrupt the service again. Reverend Taylor would stop. This
happened a few times and finally he just asked the man not to
interrupt him anymore. The next time the man interrupted
the service, Reverend Taylor prayed aloud, Lord, I am
seeking to communicate your Word to these people. This man
refuses to respect that. Would you demonstrate to him before
this people today, that he is not to play with the Living God?
Reverend Taylor picked up where he left off in his
sermon. The guy interrupted yet again. Within five minutes,
he dropped dead of a heart attack in the middle of the aisle
right in the middle of the service in front of the congregation.
Its a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

What to do:
Dont mess with a righteous man!
The Fruit of Unrighteousness
March 18
 Bible Reading: Isaiah 64:1-8
Key Verse: Verse 8 - But now, O LORD, thou art our
father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we
all are the work of thy hand."
Key Words: we are the clay, and thou our potter

The fruit of unrighteousness is a scarred life. All one

has to do is look at the Samaritan woman or the Prodigal Son.
While the unrighteous life may leave us scarred, all is not
hopeless.
Both Isaiah and Jeremiah (18:6) used the illustration
of God as the Potter and man as the clay.
Dear friend, if you have made a mess of your life, God
can take the mess and restore it to that which is useful and
beautiful. There is a beautiful illustration of what God can do
with a life that is blotted with sin given by D. L. Moody.
A friend once showed a cleaner a costly handkerchief
on which a blot of ink had been made. Nothing can be done
with it now, said the cleaner, it is absolutely worthless. The
owner of the handkerchief made no reply but carried it away
with him. After a time he sent it back, to the great surprise of
the cleaner who could scarcely believe his eyes! In a most
skillful and artistic way, the owner of the handkerchief had
made a design in India ink using the ugly blot as the center for
his design.
The principle is clear: a blotted life is not a useless life.
God can take that blotted life and make it beautiful and useful
for His service, if one would only yield to Him.

What to do:
If your life is blotted with sin, why not yield your life
to God today? (You can contact us at Mountain View
for help, if you so desire.)
If you know of someone whose life is in need of the
Potters Hand, why not help them by telling them what
God can do for them?
Make a list (out of love, not a gossip column) of
those who have messed up their life and pray for them
daily.
 ********************

The Fruits of Righteousness

March 19

Bible Reading: Philippians 1:1-11; Proverbs 23:31-32

Key Verse: Verse 11 - Being filled with the fruits of
righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the
glory and praise of God."
Key Words: Being filled with the fruits of
righteousness

According to Russell Ash in his book, The Top Ten of

Everything, the number one reason for arrests in the United
States is driving under the influence. Each year more
Americans are arrested for that reason than any other, larceny
and theft being the second highest volume of arrests while
drug abuse violence comes in third.
Did you know that alcoholic beverages are a product of
amazing versatility? It will remove stains from clothes, but it
will also remove clothes off your back. If by chance it is used
in sufficient quantity, alcohol will remove furniture from the
home, rugs from the floor, food from the table, lining from the
stomach, vision from the eyes, and judgment from the mind.
Alcohol will also remove good reputations, good jobs, good
friends, happiness from childrens hearts, sanity, freedom,
spouses, relationships, mans ability to adjust and live with his
fellow man, and even life itself. As a remover of things, alcohol
has no equal.
Also a recent survey found that the average college
student drinks thirty-four gallons of alcoholic beverages a
year. Freshmen drink the most, followed by sophomores, then
juniors, and seniors drink the least.
Grade point averages show the same hierarchy of
ranking. Those who drink the most have grade point averages
of less than 2.0. Those who have 3.0 rank second in their
alcohol consumption; and those who make As drink none at
all on an average.
 Now, the moral of all this appears to be: the smarter
you are, the less you drink.
As believers, there are many things in life that we
should abstain from. These, my friend, are the fruits of
righteousness.

What to do:
Be a righteous fruit-bearer.

********************

The Spiritual Warfare of

Righteous Thinking
March 20

Bible Reading: Philippians 4:1-8

Key Verse: Verse 8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and
if there be any praise, think on these things."
Key Words: think on these things

If you think there is no spiritual warfare taking place

to control your thinking, you probably need to take a step
back and think again.
The Bible continually talks about the importance of
our thought life.
Proverbs 23:7a, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is
he:
Romans 12:3, For I say, through the grace given unto
me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of
faith.
 Galatians 6:3, For if a man think himself to be
something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
As you read inside the Word, you find where Satan
attacked the minds of Adam, Eve, and Abraham (Genesis 12),
just to name a few, and so it is with your life as well. Daily
there is a spiritual warfare taking place for your mind.
Recent experiments have been made in which people
were fitted with special prismatic glasses. These devices
greatly distort the vision so that straight lines appeared to be
curved, and sharp outlines seemed fringed with color. Within
just a few days, however, the unnatural shapes, tinted edges,
and inverted landscapes gradually disappeared, and the world
began to be normal again, even though they still wore their
optical fittings. The brain was finally able to overcome the
false data that came through the prismatic lenses. This
adaptability in the physical realm is indeed a blessing. In the
area of the spiritual, however, the human mind does not
function very well. In fact, man is a sinner whose deepest
imaginations are evil, and his thought life produces a world of
illusions. He thinks of himself as pure when in reality he is
guilty before God.
The only way we can think right is when we think
Biblically.

What to do:
Think Biblically!! In order to do this, you must
know what Gods Word says.

The Crown of Righteousness

March 21

Bible Reading: II Timothy 4:1-8

Key Verse: Verse 8 Henceforth there is laid up for
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to
 me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing."
Key Words: Henceforth there is laid up for me a
crown of righteousness

The Crown of Righteousness is for those who love His

appearing. Its for those who are ready spiritually for the
Lords return. This is more than being born again. Its those
who are born again and living righteously and are ready for
the Lords return.
I read the following story which gives us a great
illustration of being ready for the Lords return. The author is
unknown.
I worked in a machine shop for four-and-a-half years
alongside a fellow named George. His job was to sweep and
clean out the shavings underneath the huge lathes and
machines we were running. George was born again, and he
loved the teaching of Scripture on prophecy. I remember
hearing him sing hymns as he worked. Many of them had to
do with the coming of Christ, such as In the Sweet By and By
and When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder.
Late one Friday afternoon about ten minutes to
quitting time when we were all weary, I looked at George and
said, George, are you ready? He said, Uh-huh. But he was
all dirty. He was just obviously not ready. In fact, he looked
like he was ready to keep on working. I said, Look at
you! Man, youre not ready. Youve gotta go clean up. No,
he said, let me show you something. So he unzipped his
coveralls and underneath were the neatest, cleanest clothes
you can imagine. He had them all ready. All he did when the
whistle blew was just unzip and step out of that coverall, walk
up, and punch his clock and he was gone. He said, You see, I
stay ready to keep from getting ready just like Im ready for
Jesus!

What to do:
Stay ready! It keeps you from having to get ready!
 ********************

The Measure of a Person

March 22

Bible Reading: I Samuel 16:1-13

Key Verse: Verse 7 - But the LORD said unto Samuel,
Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his
stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD
seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the
heart."
Key Words: the LORD looketh on the heart

Women take a lot of time and attention to make sure

they look glorious. They are a lot like my wife. If I tell her we
have to go somewhere at 7:00, at 6:00 she goeth before the
mirror of her glory. She goes to work. She pulls out eye
mascara, eye-liner, foundation, rollers, curlers, a hot iron, and
stuff I can't even pronounce. In one hour she is transformed
before my very eyes.
We go to the car; the car is in the garage, so she
doesn't have to go outside first to mess up her glory. She can
go straight to the car, and keep all her glory intact. The first
thing she does is to pull out the visor to check the glory she
just put on. When we get to the building we are traveling to,
we go in and come to the elevator. Guess what? There's a
mirror in the elevator, to double-check her glory. When we
arrive at our floor and get off the elevator, my wife will make a
beeline for the powder room. Now, there is nothing wrong
with a wife who seeks to be glorious. The Bible says that a
woman is the glory of the man and I don't mind my wife
making me look good.
But God is looking for even more. He wants us to be
glorious on the inside, not merely on the outside. Far too
many women are elegant on the outside, but bargain
basement on the inside: evil-spirited, evil attitude,
disregarding, disrespectful. Remember, God is not measuring
us by that which is outward, but He is measuring our heart. Is
yours a righteous heart?

What to do:
Remember, when God
measures a person, He puts the tape measure around the
heart, not the head.

********************

A Righteous Perspective
March 23

Bible Reading: Proverbs 23:1-15

Key Verse: Verse 7 - For as he thinketh in his heart,
so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart
is not with thee."
Key Words: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he

During WW II General Creighton Abrams found

himself and his troops surrounded on all sides. With
characteristic optimism he told his officers, Men, for the first
time in the history of this campaign, we are now in a position
to attack the enemy in any direction!
A young couple rented a vacation cottage for a week.
One afternoon the husband looked out a window at the
swimming pool and exclaimed, Lets change our clothes and
go get some exercise!" His wife, who was washing the dishes
in the kitchen and looking out the window watching some
people play tennis, quickly agreed. While she dressed for a
tennis match, he put on his swimming trunks. The window a
person chooses to look out at the world often determines that
individuals perception of reality.
Its something like what Coach John McKay of USC
said to his team after they had been humiliated 51-0 by Notre
Dame. McKay came into the locker room and saw a group of
beaten worn-out and thoroughly depressed young football
players who were not accustomed to losing. He stood up on a
bench and said, Men, lets keep this in perspective. There are
800 million Chinese who dont even know this game was
played. Thats what you call perspective.

What to do:
If you keep your heart in the right place, you'll have
little trouble keeping a righteous perspective.

********************

Faithfulness and Righteousness

March 24

Bible Reading: I Corinthians 4:1-8

Key Verse: Verse 2 - Moreover it is required in
stewards, that a man be found faithful."
Key Words: that a man be found faithful

As a child of God it makes sense to me that we should be

faithful to God. This word faithful means dependable,
trustworthy.
Are you faithful (dependable, trustworthy) in your
Christian walk: in purity, witnessing, Bible study, prayer, and
your own church attendance?
Why be faithful? If your mate were unfaithful to you (not
trustworthy, not dependable) what type of marital
relationship would you have? Not very good, I would
imagine. So it is with our relationship with God. Certainly an
unfaithful Christian has a poor relationship with his Heavenly
Father. If your mate offered you excuses or even reasons for
their unfaithfulness to you, would that justify their
unfaithfulness? I think not.
Have you ever stopped to consider what an unfaithful life
to God produces? Before David fell into adultery, he was
unfaithful to God. Before Achan stole, he was unfaithful to
God. Before Jonah was lost at sea, he was unfaithful to God.
Before King Saul lost his kingdom, he was unfaithful to God.
Before Eli lost his sons, he was unfaithful to God.
 On the other hand, faithfulness to God produces blessings
(Proverbs 28:20), rewards (Revelation 2:10), and more
authority (Luke 19:17).
God has been faithful to us (John 3:16). The least we can
do is be faithful to Him.
The next time someone asks, Why should I be faithful to
Gods Word? Why should I spend time in prayer? Why
should I attend the church services? Why? Because its the
righteous thing to do.

What to do:
Be faithful or be unrighteous. The choice is yours.

********************

Righteousness versus
Worldliness
March 25

Bible Reading: Genesis 13:1-13

Key Verse: Verse 11 - Then Lot chose him all the plain
of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they
separated themselves the one from the other."
Key Words: Then Lot chose him all the plain of
Jordan

If righteousness is living our lives in light of Gods

Word, then worldliness would be to live ones life contrary to
Gods Word.
Have you noticed Lot's course of action:
First, he looked toward Sodom (verse 10),
Second, he chose to go toward Sodom (verse 11),
Third, he pitched his tent toward Sodom (verse 12),
Fourth, he moved into Sodom (verse 12), and
Fifth, he lived like Sodom (verse 14).
The world does hinder many from their service to God!
 Dave Roper writes: The Bible defines worldliness by
centering morality where we intuitively know it should be.
Worldliness is the lust of the flesh (a passion for sensual
satisfaction), the lust of the eyes (an inordinate desire for the
finer things of life), and the pride of life (self-satisfaction in
who we are, what we have, and what we have done).
Worldliness, then, is a preoccupation with ease and
affluence. It elevates creature comfort to the point of idolatry;
large salaries and comfortable life-styles become necessities of
life.
Worldliness is reading magazines about people who
live hedonistic lives and spend too much money on
themselves and wanting to be like them. But more
importantly, worldliness is simply pride and selfishness in
disguises. Its being resentful when someone snubs us or
patronizes us or shows off. It means smarting under every
slight, challenging every word spoken against us, cringing
when another is preferred before us.
Worldliness is harboring grudges, nursing grievances,
and wallowing in self-pity. These are the ways in which we are
most like the world.
Everyday we become more like God or like the world.
Which do you resemble?

What to do:
Put God first and the world will flee from you.

Making A Difference Through

Righteousness
March 26

Bible Reading: James 1:13-24

Key Verse: Verse 22 - But be ye doers of the word,
and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
Key Words: be ye doers of the word
 The theme for our church back in 2006 was Making A
Difference for Christ. Which raises the question of how...how
can we make a difference?
When you study the lives of those from Gods Word
who made a difference in the lives of others you find one trait
that stands out above all others. They made a difference
because they determined to be different.
Abraham was different in that he didnt begin his
journey of faith until he was one hundred years old. Now
thats different. Abraham made a difference in the lives of
others. Abraham, rather than using his age for an excuse,
determined to make a difference for God in spite of his age,
proving that usefulness in Gods service has nothing to do
with age, but everything to do with availability. Abraham
made a difference by being different.
David was but a runt of a lad when he defeated
Goliath. When no one else would stand up to the Philistine
giant, David determined to be different and as a result, he
made a difference in the lives of others. Again proving that
age has nothing to do with being used by God, but availability
has everything to do with being useful in Gods service. David
made a difference by being different.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were different.
When everyone else bowed to the image of the world, these
three young men decided to be different, and as a result of
being different, they made a difference. (See Daniel 3:28-30.)
Daniel was different. When all others refused to pray
because of the fear of being cast in the lions den, Daniel was
never deterred. He made a difference by being different. (See
Daniel 6:26-28.)
Joseph made a difference. He refused to compromise
in his moral standards, and as a result, he eventually became
the governor of Egypt. He made a difference by being
different.
Deborah made a difference. You can read about this
woman of God in Judges, chapters 4 and 5. She was a judge
in Israel (because no man was willing to lead). Sisera, captain
of the army of Canaan, declared war on Israel. Deborah sends
word to Barak, the captain of the army of Israel, giving him
his marching instructions for the upcoming war with Canaan.
Baraks response was, Ill only go to war, Deborah, if you go
with me. So here is a woman leading Israel to victory.
Deborah made a difference because she was different.
While all these mentioned above were different, they
all have one thing in common: they were all righteous. If you
and I are to make a difference then we must desire
righteousness.

What to do:
Make the decision to be different for Christs sake.

********************

Rejecting Righteousness
March 27

Bible Reading: Psalm 14

Key Verse: Verse 1 - The fool hath said in his heart,
There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done
abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Key Words: The fool hath said in his heart, There
is no God

For the atheist not believing in God is a convenience

thing. It makes it easy to live a corrupt life when you have
convinced yourself that you are not and will never be
accountable to God. Being atheistic makes it easier to do
abominable things. So the atheist is at the top of the fool
chain and his excuses for living a corruptible and abominable
life is there is no God.
John Baillie in his book, Our Knowledge of God,
writes According to the teaching of our Lord, what is wrong
with the world is precisely that it does not believe in God. Yet
it is clear that the unbelief which he so bitterly deplored was
not an intellectual persuasion of God's non-existence. Those
whom he rebuked for their lack of faith were not men that
denied God with the top of their minds, but men who are
apparently incapable of doubting him with the top of their
minds, lived as though he did not exist.
Atheism is nothing more than one's excuse for living a
corrupt and abominable life, while rejecting a life of
righteousness.

What to do:
One can enjoy the pleasures of worldliness for a
moment, but there is a payday someday.

********************

Partiality and Righteousness

March 28

Bible Reading: James 2:1-17

Key Verse: Verse 3 - And ye have respect to him that
weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou
here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou
there, or sit here under my footstool:"
Key Words: Sit thou here in a good place

In the church there is no place for big Is and little

Us for there is no respect of persons with God. Note James
2:9, But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin.
Oftentimes we excuse our actions and the actions of
others because of the standing of some people. There is no
excuse for favoritism. We all have our gifts and talents, both
the rich and the poor, and God uses both in His work.
Theres a wonderful story about a Chicago bank that
once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young
Bostonian being considered for employment. The Boston
investment house could not say enough about the young man.
His father, they wrote, was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell.
Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstalls, Peabodys, and
other of Bostons first families. His recommendation was
given without hesitation.
 Several days later, the Chicago bank sent a note saying
the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read:
We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding
purposes. Just for work.
Neither is God a respecter of persons but accepts those
from every family, nation, and race who fear Him and work
for His kingdom (Acts 10:34-35). Now, thats righteousness!

What to do:
We often miss out on the blessings some can be to
the church because of our partiality and favoritism.
Dont play favorites.

P. S. This portion of Scripture and this devotional is in

reference to the church and partiality, not the nation
and immigration.

********************

Remember Not the Sins of

Seeing Righteousness
March 29

Bible Reading: I Samuel 16:1-13

Key Verse: Verse 7 - But the LORD said unto Samuel,
Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his
stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD
seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the
heart."
Key Words: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth

We all know the story of I Samuel 16: how God told

Samuel to go anoint the next king. Samuel looked at David as
being the least likely one to be king but God saw him as the
valuable one because He looked at David's heart, not his
stature.
One day a teenager lost his contact lens while playing
basketball in the driveway. He started looking all over the
ground trying to find it, but couldnt find it anywhere.
Somewhat scared, he went and told his mom that the lens was
lost. She went out to help him look and found the lens in all of
two minutes. Now, contact lenses are hard to find. His mother
found in two minutes what the teenager had been looking for
over an hour. When he asked his mother how she found it so
easily, she said, Its simple, son. We werent looking for the
same thing. You were looking for a piece of plastic. I was
looking for 150 dollars.
The point is you will never find righteousness by
looking at only what the physical eye can see. You find
righteousness by evaluating the heart of a person.

What to do:
Look at the heart through actions and you will see if
they are righteous.

None Good But One

March 30

Bible Reading: Romans 3:10 and Mark 10:13-22

Key Verse: Verse Mark 10:18 - And Jesus said unto
him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good
but one, that is, God."
Key Words: there is none good but one, that is
God
 In our text, a rich ruler comes to Jesus and does three
things:
1. runs to Jesus,
2. kneels before Him, and
3. addresses Him as Good Master.
Jesus responds by asking a question, Why callest thou
me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. The word
good in our text is a reference to having the power to give
eternal life. So Jesus was asking the rich man if he was
acknowledging that Jesus was the Way to eternal life which
He is!
In 1715 King Louis XIV of France died after a reign of
seventy-two years. He had called himself, The Good King,
and was the monarch who first said, I am the State! His
court was the most magnificent in all of Europe, and his
funeral was equally spectacular.
As his body lay in state in a golden coffin, orders were
given that the church should be dimly lit with only a special
candle set above the coffin to dramatize his goodness. At
the memorial, thousands waited in silence. Then Bishop
Massilon began to speak slowly, reaching down, he snuffed
out the candle and said, Only God is good!!

What to do:
Remember, one is not born again by being
righteous; one is righteous by being born again.
A Righteous Atmosphere
March 31

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 11:13-23

Key Verse: Verse 19 - And I will give them one heart,
and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take
the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them
an heart of flesh:"
Key Words: I will take the stony heart out of their
flesh
 Ive seen some hard-hearted believers in my time. Im
sure you have as well. The question is why. Why are so many
believers so hard and cold and callous? Let me explain it this
way.
One of the greatest inventions of all time is soft-serve
ice cream. Where ice cream could be hard and scooped out
using a lot of effort with an ice cream scooper, somebody
figured out a way to make soft-serve ice cream immediately
available with minimal effort.
There is a homemade way to get soft-serve ice cream
too. Take the carton out of the freezer, put it on the kitchen
counter, and let it set out for a while. Simply transfer the
atmosphere of the ice cream and after a bit of time you will
see change. Situating it in the right location will produce the
transformation desired.
The reason why some Christians are so cold, callous,
stingy, unloving, and evil is because they are not hanging out
in the right atmosphere. God will do the work of
transformation if we are in an atmosphere where He is. He is
willing to do the work of change in our hearts and minds if we
will allow Him. Why not allow Him to work in and through
you?

What to do:
He who doesnt change his atmosphere will never
change his attitude.

I deeply appreciate
the help of
 Mary Parsons

Glenda Myrick

And my lovely wife, Linda

Without God using these

people to help, this
devotional would not
have been possible.
Dr. Mike Rouse
 is a ministry of

5568 Chalkville Mountain Road

Birmingham, AL. 35235
(205) 854-2741
www.mountainviewbaptist.org