| Paths of Righteousness |
| Biblical Illustrator Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
“I. WHAT THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE. A path is nothing else but an open and beaten way or tract to walk in. There are two sorts of paths wherein men may be said to walk. Some are called erroneous and false ways; the Scriptures sometimes call these crooked paths, because they do not lead us directly to heaven, but wind off. Sometimes our own paths, because they are not ways of God’s institution, but of our own invention. Sometimes paths not cast up (Jeremiah 18:15), in opposition to ancient and established and perused ways prescribed by God, and insisted in by the old faithful servants of God. These paths are those of infidelity and impenitency and impiety. In this place they are called paths of righteousness, which again are two-fold, either — 1. Doctrinal, in which respect the precepts of God are called the paths of righteousness, a rule to a man in his journey, and that, if which he will still follow, will assuredly bring him to his journey’s end; so the precepts of God are the rules of our lives, according to which, if we do square them, everlasting life would be the end of that journey. 2. Or practical, and this path of the righteous is that which the Scripture calls the path of the just, or the way of good men (Isaiah 26:7), and the paths of uprightness (Proverbs 2:13). And they are called paths in the plural number, not for diversity, but for number, and some of them respect — (1) God; (2) Man. (O. Sedgwick, B. D.)” Life does tend to get in the way of allowing things to go smooth sailing all the way; so rather than a straight forward path to victory and peace, our journeys often take many twists and turns! For some very harsh, painful and sad turns that do shape character and test the soul, but leave an indelible melancholy reminder of all we’ve been through. But when it’s all said and done, there is only one answer and salvation for any of our trials and tribulations to amount to anything of permanence that will really matter; will we hear at the journey’s end this Holy Scripture!
Matthew 25:23 “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” |
Can you judge from afar who the “righteous” are so well, even on the internet, and with such high accuracy and lack of actually knowing all those strangers!
It’s very foolish to hand out that high mark classification so easily amongst severely defective and imperfect human beings without amble qualification.
Romans 3:23 “for fall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 1:17 “For the justice of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, according to that which is written: “The just one shall live by faith.”
Ephesians 2:8–9 “8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not by works, so that no one can boast.”
“There is none who does good is a universal indictment of mankind. No one lives up to God’s standard of righteousness; everyone lives in a state of depravity.”
Romans 3:10-12 As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
Psalm 14:1-7 “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good. 2The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. 3All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 4Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD. 5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous. 6You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed, yet the LORD is their shelter. 7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!”
Romans 5:19 “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
Romans 3:1-31
“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though everyone were a liar, as it is written,”
“That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
5 “But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.”
No One Is Righteous
9 “What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off?[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”
11 “no one understands; no one seeks for God.”
12 “All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;”
16 “in their paths are ruin and misery,”
17 “and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being[c] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
The Righteousness of God Through Faith
21 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
27 “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
Some wonderful quotations of truth, wisdom and inspiration written by former Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Perhaps some of us are going to live saintly lives of humility and servitude following God’s instruction through His Holy Spirit, making a difference in God’s glorious plan which is all about absolute unconditional love which is pure as the driven snow! Amen.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
God bless.
Brother in Christ Jesus,
Lawrence Morra III
An extra tidbit to illustrate how the journey is usually a winding road.
We know the adage “all roads lead to Rome,” but in this reality the only road or path that ultimately matters is the one that leads to the “Sacred Heart of Jesus!”
Amen.
Zero Lift-Off 
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