This is the time of the year that we hear words that have been made up to push people to spend their money. “End of the year savings!” “Black Friday sale …” “Inventory blow-out …” If you are not careful, you can exhaust yourself just trying to catch up to all the incredible “deals” that are being offered today. Let me just remind you that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. We are promised all kinds of great things that require no effort, or far less money than we expected. It sounds too good to be true … You will probably find out that it was not all that they promised it to be. Many people were out shopping at two in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving in order to get that “one thing” everybody on their list wanted.
This made me think about the things I would get up early to do, or get. It made me think about what my priorities really are in my life. It made me think about what is the thing that is most important to me today. Many are asking, “What do you want for Christmas?” I honestly don’t have anything that is on my heart that I really “need” for Christmas. And then I read this verse today … “He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor” (Proverbs 21:21). For Christmas this year, I would love to receive life … righteousness … and honor! How about you?
Did you see that there is a price-tag for these things? My father used to say to me that if you wanted something of value, you had to work hard to get it. It is the same here. If I want life, righteousness and honor, I must pursue righteousness and mercy. I must pursue righteousness in my own life. I need to get away from the things that God hates, and incorporate the things He loves. I need to stay out of some places that promote ungodly habits and lifestyles, and make sure I am getting into other places that promote righteous living and behavior. I need more righteousness in my personal life and I must pursue it constantly.
I must also be willing to offer mercy if I want to have life, righteousness and honor. I cannot expect God to extend mercy to me if I refuse to extend it to others. I cannot think that God will give me the mercy that I need and crave for if I am unwilling to demonstrate that same kind of mercy to those who offend me and hurt me. I firmly believe that if we gave mercy like we want others to do to us and our family members, God would be free to give us more mercy. I don’t know about you, but I need all the mercy I can get! Today I want to pursue righteousness and mercy with all my energy!