THE CALL TO RIGHTEOUS LIVING (PSALM 34:11-15; MATTHEW 6:25-33)
The Very. Rev. Michael Mukhwana
Good morning Saint, I trust that you had a great week and so we praise the Lord! Over to our theme of the day; when an individual
respond to God’s invitation to receive salvation, it marks the start of a very unique phase in our Christian walk. This decision to embrace Christ as Savior of one’s life triggers a process, that Christian theologians prefer to call, sanctification. It is essentially the work of the Holy Spirit, but the believer must be ready to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. It is a lifetime process, that entails a conscious surrender of all the weak areas of our lives, as we respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. At its best, this results into a great manifestation of a godly life and God’s presence in our lives, family and ministry.
It is a quality of life that the Psalmist refers to in Ps. 34:11-16. These verses exhibit many characteristics of Israel’s wisdom literature. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and essential to a life well lived (Prov. 1:7). Instruction is directed from the father to child (Prov. 1:8). Two paths are set before the reader: one of godliness and subsequent blessing, the other of wickedness and subsequent curse (cp. Psalm 1).
This message / teaching on righteous living is reinforced by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:33, when he says, “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides” (Amplified Bible). Our Lord also highlighted the importance of righteousness in His Sermon on the Mount, saying “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matt 5:6). Here the Lord refers to having a deep longing for both personal righteousness and justice for the oppressed.
Child of God, stay blessed as you pursue righteousness.
The Very Rev. Canon Mciaheal Mukhwana
PROVOST