When God’s people bring good over evil, watch for the celebration!
I have been in a movie theater a few times when it happened. The audience was so engrossed in the tension of the good and evil narrative that when the hero overcame the villain, the audience erupted in applause. Just think about that for a second. Everyone in the theater was watching actors on a movie set playing fictional characters. Yet when good triumphed over evil, the audience spontaneously cheered.
How many times have we seen this play out in real life? Does anyone remember the miracle as sports announcers called the 1980 Olympic victory the USA had over the Soviet Union? I remember hearing the cheers from neighbors’ houses that day. We tend to celebrate when whomever we designate as the “good” side wins a victory.
The blessing of the upright
King Solomon wrote centuries ago that whole cities rejoice when it goes well with the righteous and that shouts of celebration break out when the wicked fail and go away. Solomon continued by explaining that it is the blessing of the upright that brings about the flourishing of the city. Likewise, when leaders act corruptly and speak lies instead of truth, ultimately they are overthrown.
You and I both know too many stories, however, of leaders with impure motives who nevertheless seem to make lots of money and rise to power. We must remember that these victories are always temporary. We just celebrated Easter. We know Jesus was victorious over the enemy of death. And King Jesus will one day return in glory to renew and restore all that is broken in this world. Those who follow Jesus and live as kingdom citizens have nothing to fear. But those who reject the righteous ways of God’s kingdom will see their fortunes reversed.
Giving God the glory
Until then, we are called to live righteous lives. The prophet Micah made this simple to understand: “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). The great command of Jesus rounds out this teaching: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). When we love as Jesus loved, we will naturally practice justice, treat others with mercy, and offer grace. We won’t act righteously in order to call attention to ourselves. Instead, our desire will simply be to give God glory for bringing transformation to our lives so we can better accomplish his will here on earth as it is in Heaven.
Following the example of Jesus
You and I can have an impact even today. Doing good to others. Going the second mile. Offering a word of encouragement. Giving to someone in need. These and many other little acts of kindness will bring change to the places we work, the churches we attend, and the cities we inhabit. When enough of us follow the example of Jesus, we will experience spontaneous outbursts of joy and celebration.
Following the righteous ways of God’s kingdom is the best thing we can do to bring blessing on our community.
Lord, we pray today that you would lead us to the people and the places where we can make a difference for you. We commit to living lives that reflect your glory so that those around us will see your flourishing even today. Amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Proverbs 11:10-11 ESV
Photo by Anh Henry Nguyen on Unsplash
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
