By Ambrose.J. Chakre | EMN
Righteousness is a virtue which is promised to everyone who believes in the way of salvation. It is required of every men and woman to live holy lives that they may one day inherit the righteousness of God. The Bible exhorts us to cling on to what is good but to detest from all that is evil.If you think that you can never be made righteous by your acts of righteousness, be aware that the evil one will wound you spiritually. The fruits of righteousness are what we are expected to bring forth. It is not without reason that this is been written but it is given that we might gain life through it. If the purposes of our existence here on earth are not fulfilled, the promises of our reward in heaven may never be ours. Harsh as it sounds, that’s the reality of it.
Jesus said “ I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that does not bear fruit while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are clean because of the words spoken to you. Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15: 1-5The words written here is for us to live by. Investors would invest their money on reputed firms and companies. In the same way we cannot expect blessings if we are not worthy of it. Even in offices and in the corporate world if our works are not satisfactory, we may even be denied promotion or be fired from our job. The bible makes it clear that the wicked shall be separated from the righteous to be cast into the lake of fire. It also says that the righteous shall be showered with unending blessings while the wicked shall suffer unending pain and agony in hell.
The reason we are called believers is because the knowledge of the truth is now in us. Knowing this we should never compromise our salvation with our desires of worldly pleasures. Apart from Christ we can do nothing and without Christ our lives will be ruined. This is further evidenced in the preceding verse when Christ said “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing.”v5. Being who we are in Christ, we should strive to be the best for Christ. If our existence here on earth is not utilized, least will be our reward in heaven. The Word also promises us that if we live by what we learned our every prayers and petitions will be answered.
God desires that we show our worth as being His disciples by been fruitful in our ministry. If we don’t invest while we have the time, the wise ones will inherit all the blessings that are due to us. We should never compromise the stance we have in Christ with the false promises which the world offers. It is for us to accept what is been written and to live by the virtue of it. This is my prayer that everyone who reads this will benefit from it. Let the sacred words remain in us that the promises of it can be ours. We as the bride of Christ ( Church of Christ) will shine for Christ when our deeds are akin to His deeds. We are called to bear fruit and we can be fruitful only with Christ by our side. This is the challenge. This is the task assigned. And it is for us to show our worth as worthy disciples of Christ.
