September 7, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will know.” The [other two] men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.” (Genesis 18.20-22)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

The righteousness of God. What is righteousness? A dictionary will tell us that righteousness alludes to excellence and genuineness, something that is morally right and justifiable but most of all acting in accordance with divine law free from guilt or sin. Most of the world loves the call to “excellence and genuineness.” It elevates the ego of people who believe they have done a good thing upon their own volition using their own resources, gifts, talents and abilities. There is no need to speak of a divine relationship or “supernatural” calling. It is based on a man-made paradigm of “being the best you can be” or at least better than all others appearing to be perfect. Even more subjective would be those who call “righteousness” something they believe to be true for themselves as morally right and adjudicated by a justifiable act (even if it is morally wrong to others as long as they believe it is morally true to themselves.) Again, it is not necessarily based on any system of thought that aligns itself with the sovereignty of God as described in either the Old or New Testaments. Righteous and Righteousness have become casual terms carelessly used in a modern culture and climate that is broken away from what is genuinely and most excellent the infinite truth of God’s nature and character of love. True righteousness human beings cannot achieve or perform or become on their own. True righteousness is living in accord with the design and will of a perfect God who is above sin, guilt and shame. As mighty ones of God, we know the fullness of the righteousness of God was made evident in Jesus of Nazareth. “He who was without sin, became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5.21) What Jesus did during His lifetime on earth for thirty-three years was to be the evidence of God’s love and desire to forgive and restore His people to Himself and dwell with them forever. This is the evidence of the true righteousness of God. Because of His sacrifice on our behalf, we are able to become the righteousness of God. By the power of His Spirit which He surrendered to God at the cross upon His death so that it might be poured out on us, we have a place of grace before a mighty God and are welcomed.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is an evidentiary witness of the importance of Abraham to understand the call to righteousness. For Abraham, the ability to live a righteous life even though he was “blessed by God to be a blessing” was impossible without God. On many occasions which we have already reviewed, Abraham fell far short of being a righteous man. “It was his faith in the promises of God that allowed him to be known as the righteousness of God.” (Romans 4.22) It was not by his works, his excellence in business as a financier and shepherd, his attempts to abide by the moral laws set before him by God and by the lands in which he lived or his devotion to fight back the enemy of family and friend that would make him righteous before God. Only by God could he attain to righteousness, living by the divine law free from guilt and shame. God made a way and Abraham survived daily because of it. He would become a father through Sarah, even in their non-childbearing years, because of his faith in the promises of God. Neither he nor Sarah knew how it would happen, but faith found a way. But Abraham’s faith would not be enough to undo what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah. The best his faith could do would be to negotiate the sparing of some lives. Even Lot would be saved from destruction only because of Abraham’s faith in God. Lot, while he entertained the “two men” with honor and sought to protect them because he knew they were of God, was not much better than his uncle Abraham. He, too, sought to make a deal with evil men at the expense of the women in his life (he offered his daughters to the perverts at the door wanting to have intercourse with the “two men” who had come to Lot’s house. Lot did not act in true righteousness, but he and his family were spared the conflagration sent down from heaven as God’s righteous justice. Abraham had to see that such things could not be tolerated. It would be a confirmation to Abraham not only of God’s promise, but that He was serious about the investment of His word and in whom He invested. I have no doubt that Abraham would think seriously in the future when making those “questionable” decisions.

What about today, mighty ones of God? Have we become so desensitized to sin and shame in the world that we have lost sight of the promise of God made to us as it was to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, the prophets and to Jesus our Christ, Lord and Savior? We are made the righteousness of God and God will not abide that we be anything less. Look what He has done! It is as He has promised. Have faith. Hold fast. Follow the plan of authentic, genuine and perfect living and be glad that God is gracious, kind and forgiving and committed to His word for our living.

TODAYS’ PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness endeavor, but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.