Directions

Proverbs 11:5
The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

I’m sure that when you wake up in the morning your intentions for the day are good; that is, you plan to be a righteous person. I’m sure you don’t leave the house in the morning with a mindset that today will be the day you break the land speed record on your way to work. I’m sure you aren’t actively planning to one-finger salute the guy in the Lexus who just took your spot. I’m sure you don’t intend to look lustfully at that coworker in his or her tight pants. But what happens during the day never seems to line up with your intentions, does it?

Have you ever wondered why things don’t go according to your plans? The simple answer is this: because they’re your plans. When we are conscious of ourselves and spend the day worrying about how we’re going to act, we take our focus off of Christ. More importantly, we take our focus off of who we are in Christ and return it to who we perceive ourselves to be in the world. This has one result: failure. But there’s Hope!

Instead of getting out of bed in the morning and planning to be a “good” person for the day we need to be getting out of bed and realizing that through the blood of Christ we have been made perfect. In truth, the word “perfect” used in this verse is the same word for “complete, healthful, wholesome, and innocent” (Strong’s H8549). It’s not that we’ve done anything to be perfect, but rather that Christ has done it all to make us perfect. Because of His sacrifice, and the exchange on the cross of His perfection for our imperfections, God views us as complete. We are a finished work in Christ. Maybe that’s why He said, “IT IS FINISHED!”

When you get out of bed in the morning, remind yourself first and foremost that you are perfect, complete, whole, and healthy in the eyes of God Almighty. He sees you that way because He sees you in the light of the perfection of Jesus Christ. Follow that up with a quick reminder of where your righteousness comes from. It’s not from works or deeds or “right doing” (Isaiah 64:6), but from the grace of God through the cross of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). This realization of who you are in Christ and where your righteousness truly comes from will be made manifest throughout your day.

The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way. Another way to say that would be: Jesus Christ, my righteousness, who has made me perfect, complete, and healthy in the eyes of God the Father has gone out before me today and prepared the way for me to walk into His perfection. Isn’t that what His word says (Psalm 23:3, Isaiah 45:2)?

Let’s live into our status as Christians: righteous. Instead of setting ourselves up for failure with a laundry list of what not to do’s, let’s recognize that Christ has begun a good work within us and He will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6)! The work was started in grace, it progresses in grace, and it will be accomplished only in grace.