Behold His Face

"For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face".
Psalm 11:7 (New American Standard Bible - Observation)

{Care for a sneak peak into my Life Journal? Devotional thoughts and word studies as I read - my tryst thoughts and NOT in depth, inductive study.}

Words I Love (Interpretation):

Righteous - #6662 - just in conduct and character

Righteousness - #6666 - truthfulness, righteous acts

Upright - #3477 - straight, level, pleasing, correct, appropriate

I wrote about "Behold" #2372 and "Face" #6440 here while discussing another "Behold God's Face" verse. Quick refresher - behold = to see and perceive by experience and face = presence, person.

Life Lessons (Application):

My personal memorial stone this year is intimacy. Earlier I shared these words, "I sense that I'm moving from the place of surrender (taking it with me somehow) into a place of new intimacy". As I look back at those words from this vantage point a few stand out to me, MOVING (::snort::) I have lots of thoughts on that and how it applies to our spiritual walk, SURRENDER (always) and INTIMACY. The concept of intimacy has been surrounding me.

Being face to face with someone is surely considered intimate. Here I'm told that if, through the grace of God, my conduct, character, personality are truthful, appropriate, just - RIGHTEOUS - I WILL see, gaze, perceive and know God's presence by experience. God loves righteousness and the righteous.

This is not about ginning up some sort of approved conduct in my own strength. Righteousness is a part of the armour of God (Eph 6:14). Righteousness protects me. Righteousness is mine as I clothe myself with Christ and all that He provides. My part is to see that I AM clothed in the full armor which God has provided. I must make sure that I AM walking in relationship with Jesus.

My righteousness is not a result of what I do - but then neither is it something that I'm to passively wait to HAPPEN to me. Paul instructs Timothy (and by extension me) to pursue righteousness. (2 Tim 2:22).

Righteousness yields peaceful fruit (Heb 12:11) and sometimes I will be called to suffer for the sake of righteousness (I Peter 3:14, 15).

Too often I'm guilty of claiming the promise and not exploring the condition of the promise. The condition in this verse is that my conduct be upright. Too often I pursue "stuff" (good stuff even - well-mannered children, well-educated children, Bible studies) other than righteousness and intimacy with God....but I'm learning.

BTW I'm fully aware of the balance needed between being MADE righteous and PURSUING righteousness. At various times in my life, I've seen myself swing....sometimes to a huge focus on grace alone, sometimes to a focus on purusing righteousness and holiness....don't you think there is a balance/ a mid way point? My goal is to avoid swings of the pendulum (which I believe are both truth) and live in the balance. An intersting discussion would be the various aspects of our faith walk that are lived in this balance....faith/works.....soverignty/free will....grace/justice...giving/saving (stewardship thing)....

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...