"Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:5-8
For many Christians, today is the beginning of Lent. During Lent we make sacrifices to show our love and devotion to Jesus for giving his life to us. From eating fish on Fridays to not eating meat at all to quitting bad habits, everyone has their own personal way to show Him their dedication.
While these are certainly noble acts, He asks us to offer the sacrifices of righteousness. He wants us to do the right thing and live by His word. As human beings subject to error at any moment, that might seem like a tall order. This is when we remind ourselves He gave His life on the cross so we can be forgiven. If we make a mistake, He wants us to admit it, learn from it and change it. Everyday is another opportunity to offer the sacrifice of righteousness.
When we feel there is no "light at the end of the tunnel", Jesus lifts us with His eternal light. He turns to us and gives us the good love we need to endure. With Jesus in your heart, you can overcome all adversity and wrong-doing to live a life of righteousness.
The Psalm further reminds us the gladness in our hearts from doing the right thing is far greater than if we focused on having plenty of corn and wine. Sometimes we get caught up in a competitive situation with friends, family or co-workers. Our focus is on earning money and accruing the best stuff rather than living His word everyday.
It calls to mind my first job in a law office. In my legal career, I worked in several municipal law offices as a manager, paralegal or consultant. It was not my intention to pursue a legal career but I was tempted by the money. I was self-supporting at a very young age and I knew more money payed more bills.
When I entered the office, I was a teenager in college. Their offices were set up in an old colonial house in a very prestigious neighborhood. I was impressed by the area, the beautiful architecture, the abundant legal libraries and the well-dressed, polished employees.
I landed the job right at the end of the interview. I was walking down stairs when the attorney who interviewed me stopped me and said with a smile that did not reach her eyes, "Congratulations, you've got the job."
Even though I was a honor student with excellent office skills, I could not understand why they chose someone with no experience for such a key position. I soon learned their reasoning.
To summarize a lengthy story, the partners of the firm were acting with great impropriety. They were collected multiple pensions from school districts, which was just the tip of the iceberg of what I observed. I mentioned it and was told I didn't know what I was talking about.
Oddly enough, after stating my thoughts I was given a lofty raise and benefits. I was instructed not to tell anyone about my new salary. I discovered people working there for 10 years were making less and had no health benefits. This amazed me since the law firm negotiated to get these perks for administrators, mayors and other power players.
My discontent continued and again I spoke my mind to the managing partner. I was then offered a cushy political position in Albany. I left to start a cleaning business, figuring scrubbing toilets was less dirty than working in this law office.
The firm was clearly displeased with my decision and even tried to pursue a moot legal case against me as an intimidation tactic. Much like their excuses, the lawsuit held no water. Either way, they tried to make me feel foolish and paranoid about my observations. I was told I just "didn't understand".
Clearly I did. Twenty years later, I was sitting with my hubby and kids writing an article on my laptop while they watched the news. A film flashed across the screen with one of the attorney's faces. As a law writer and managing partner, he was clearly facing serious legal ramifications for the actions taken by the firm. This confirmed I knew all along what was right and wrong. I was glad I did not let them redefine righteousness for me and bribe me with money, power and position.
This brings me back to our sacrifice of righteousness for Lent. It's not always easy to do the right thing. Our jobs, families, friends and even the media tell us to act in a way that may not be in accordance with His word. We need to seek the truth so we can be examples of His word. Doing away with our preconceived notions about what we need versus what we want is one of the greatest sacrifices we can make for Lent.
Why not make a commitment to live by His word everyday during Lent? If you fall one day, commit yourself to admitting your wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness. We tend to forget these two simple steps more often than we'd like to acknowledge.
When we follow His word and live by righteousness, we can sleep peacefully each night because we did good things. He shines his protective grace on us to keep us safe when we live by His word.
What are you giving up for Lent this year? Have you already made the lifestyle change to live by His word everyday? How has that changed your life? Please feel free to comment below or write your own post for Gathering 4 Jesus.
Have a beautiful, blessed day!
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