None is Righteous

As it is written: "There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues pursue deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18)

Sobering words on an early morning. 

Hmm .... this morning as I thought about these words a new realization dawned on me; that it is so easy in our profession of faith to judge others and view them from a condescending perspective. Oh, how we love to judge and condemn and yet a further reading of this particular chapter in the Book of Romans jolts us to the reality of our fallen nature. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (verse 23). We often use this verse to evangelize to non-believers but when we stop for a moment and think about what Paul was telling the saints in Rome, one begins to realize that the verse is as relevant to believers as it is to non-believers. 

Back to the scripture above. None of us is righteous. I am looking at this scripture in light of where we are as a people called by the Lord's Name, especially in this nation. We no longer seek God; instead we have become a people that seek to satisfy our desires. We no longer do good and we are proud of phrases such as us being a "man-eat-man" society. We live by the mantra "Every man for himself and God for us all."What happened to us as the Body of Christ? What does the world see? On Sunday while at a bus stop in my neighborhood, a drunk man boldly stated, albeit in a slur, "Mbona tupigie hawa watu wa kanisa kura. Wanakula kanisani na wanataka kula kwa serikali. Si watuachie." (Why should we vote for the church fold? They "eat" in church and now they want to eat in government. They should leave political offices for us) Needless to say I was sad. Is that how low we have sunk as believers in this nation? Have we so lost God that the world no longer sees God in us but greed, power, and the insatiable pursuit of self interests?

We have all turned away ... and I hang my head in shame. God is no longer our Number One and Only Agenda. We no longer do good. As long as my family, or "me" is doing well, we no longer care for the needy in our society. Six years later and we still have people living in IDP camps and life has so moved on for most of us. What can we do, you may ask? We have an increasing number of poor people in our midst while the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider and wider. As members of the Body of Christ, we are also moving away from the "dangerous" estates so to speak and building our safe havens in gated communities. We no longer see or feel the needs of men and women and so never feel the urge to do good. Everywhere Jesus went He did good. Even among our family members. Our nieces, nephews, other relatives or neighbors back shagz (upcountry) go around hungry, without proper education, shelter or clothing, and yet we follow Jesus do not really care. We have shut our eyes, killed our consciences, and we just no longer do good. We are hoping someone else will come and help them out. Who, if I may ask? Oh, what a shame! 

We practice deceit, we curse, we are bitter, and the list goes on and on. How many of us have lied on our birth certificates? How many of us have lied to our employers - you know those credentials are not genuine but you used them to get a job and you are comfortably enjoying the perks. It seems like we are no longer genuine with one another. Some of us lie about our ages so that we can stay in a certain job. We curse and bless people in the same breath contrary to what we are admonished to do in the Word in the Book of James. We are bitter with everyone - when we speak we spew bitterness, anger, revenge - and yet the root of bitterness hinders us from enjoying the liberty that comes with knowing Christ. 

Ruin and misery mark our ways and we do not know the way of peace. Oh, that God would help us to find rest and confidence in Him. In Him alone is perfect peace. And the scripture goes on to say that "there is no fear of God before their eyes." 

I have been jolted to a reality that had slowly become dim in my life: the fear of God. Do I fear God? Do I honor Him? Do I really recognize Who God is? Sometimes I have been so casual in my relationship with God and I truly repent. God is not even calling me to be perfect but He is asking me to honor Him, to fear Him coz this is the beginning of wisdom. In my everyday life, the fear of God should continually go before me. When I am about to tell a lie or to avenge for some wrong, or when there is the temptation to satisfy the works of the flesh, I do need to stop and remember that I am not serving mortal man, I have not been called by man; rather He Who has called me is God Almighty and He is holy and the Judge of all mankind. 

Is there hope? Yes. It is possible for us to pursue righteousness through faith. And when we exercise faith in Jesus we are justified. For me this morning I realized the importance of continually coming before God with a repentant heart and the continual need to pursue the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. I believe that as I do so the Lord will draw me close to Himself and He will reveal to me aspects of my life that I need to deal with. It is a journey and I must be a willing participant, laying myself open to the dealings of God. And even as He leads along the path of righteousness I should remember that it is for His Name's sake and not mine. For His sake He will begin to open my eyes to see what He sees and to respond appropriately.

How I pray that I would be found in Him and that I will pursue His righteousness at all cost. It is worth the price.

Early morning thoughts ... None is Righteous ... The reality of who I am in light of Who God is ... And the deep realization of the extent of His love, grace and mercy. For by His mercies I am not consumed. Thank You Lord!