righteousness – CadreMen Press

They Could Find No Thing

They Could Find No Thing by Kirk Hunt

So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.

Daniel 6:4 NKJV
Please also read Daniel 6:1-24 NKJV

They could find no thing to hang on him. Daniel lived his life in righteous purity and worked in faithful excellence. No errors, mistakes, or skeletons could be found in Daniel’s personal or professional life.

More than skillful, Daniel was diligent. He did the extra, little things. As valuable as excellence is, faithfulness improves technical perfection.

More than living clean, Daniel lived righteously. He lived more than the bare minimum of the Law. Daniel sought the heart of God and deliberately let his pursuit of heaven show to other men.

As a reward for living correctly and working diligently, Daniel was the victim of conspiracy and accusation. He went to the lion’s den, having done nothing wrong. See what being a good soul gets you?

At the bottom of the death trap, God awaited Daniel. God Himself halted the plot against his life. I imagine Daniel slept better than the king that night.

Be that guy or gal. Live your life in excellence and righteousness. No matter the situation, God will be your close companion.

Think: What could they find if they looked hard?

Pray: “Father-God, help me to live and work in Your righteousness and excellence.

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

Are You Persuaded?

Are You Persuaded? by Kirk Hunt

Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’

Luke 16:29-31 NKJV
Please also read Luke 16:19-31

The parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus has always haunted me. Simply put, Jesus is telling us that there are limits to grace and mercy. Those who are not persuaded will be prosecuted. It takes an overt act of mercy or grace when our holy and just God withholds justice and judgment.

Mercy is not receiving the punishment or penalties you earned. Grace is receiving gifts and benefits you do not merit. Mercy and grace suspend, or refuse, justice and judgment.

At Psalm 103:8-10, King David explained simply: God will not restrain His anger indefinitely. You can listen voluntarily now or be compelled before His judgment throne. Do the math.

Being teachable does not make a man or woman weak or gullible. We listen to wisdom, and compare it with scripture, think carefully, and pray thoroughly. Then we make a decision.

You have been exposed to Scripture and Godly teachers. Are you persuaded? When judgment and prosecution come, it will then be too late.

Think: God speaks through scripture and teachers. Are you listening?

Pray: “Lord, guide me to Your truth and make me teachable.”

Cleanse The Temple

Cleanse The Temple by Kirk Hunt

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

Matthew 21:12-13 NKJV

Jesus drove out the money changers. And the animal sellers. He cleansed the Temple with violent (intense, turbulent, furious and likely destructive) action.

Scripture does not report that anyone was killed or wounded, so some argue that Jesus was not “truly” violent. Men in mid-transaction left money and merchandise and fled. I doubt that a polite request was the reason they left so suddenly.

Many Bible scholars and historians assert that Jesus’ disruption of the commerce happening on the Temple grounds is the trigger event for His crucifixion. The High Priest and the elite leadership decided that Jesus had to die, because of the money. Real action that accomplishes something will make enemies.

Jesus reacted to injustice (theft) against faithful Jewish pilgrims plus violation of the sanctity of the Temple. People should have been praying in reverent quiet. Instead, the Temple was a common swap meet.

Circumstances will not change until you take action. The action you take will upset someone. Are you pleasing them or pleasing God?

Think: Righting an injustice, like cleansing the Temple, may take forceful action.

Pray: “Lord, give me the courage to uphold Your righteousness and justice.”

Manipulating The King

Manipulating The King by Kirk Hunt

All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.

Daniel 6:7 NKJV

King Darius’ advisors manipulated him. Their flattery and appeal to his ego got him to sign a law designed to kill a single man, Daniel. Were it not for God’s divine intervention, Daniel would have become lion chow.

What was Daniel’s crime that the highest advisors of the Kingdom sought his life? Daniel, a foreign-born man had achieved high rank. He also prayed his prayers daily and openly to a foreign God (Jehovah-Jireh). Daniel’s righteous living matched his prayer life. The only way to get at Daniel was to manipulate the king into executing him without good cause..

Men and women must seek and labor to do the right thing. Righteousness does not come naturally or easily. And there are others who will encourage, or trick you into going down a wicked, evil path.

Your advisors may, or may not, be working in your best interests. Had King Darius stopped listening to his own ego and self-image long enough, he might have asked why this new but temporary law needed to be signed. Seek God’s wisdom and insight at all times, no matter how you trust those around you.

Think: Am I doing what I am doing for my ego or for God’s righteousness?

Pray: “Lord, help me not to be manipulated by false and wicked advisors.”

Observe And Do

“Observe And Do” By Kirk Hunt

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.”

Matthew 23:1–3 NKJV

Jesus observed and commented. He clearly and plainly told the majority of folk that their religious scholars and leaders preached one thing but clearly practiced a different thing. How is it possible to mess up, “Observe and do the right things”?

Was Jesus critiquing pagan Romans? No. Was Jesus rebuking Roman collaborators or prostitutes? No. Jesus criticized the very people who should have known better than anyone else.

The Pharisees preached righteousness and adherence to the law, but their motivations however were corrupt or self-serving (Matthew 23:5). Of course, these high minded religious experts were not above exploiting the poor or vulnerable in the name of profit (Matthew 23:14). In general, the Pharisees did the easy part of looking sanctimonious, but did not do the hard part of living righteously (Matthew 23:23).

Living righteously before God and man is easier said than done. That is why the Holy Spirit helps those men and women who seek Him. Religious law can only help you realize how sinful you are. It takes God’s spirit and grace to fulfill the law by living a sanctified life.

Take a good look at how you actually live. Does your life match what you preach (or say you believe)? Seek the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help you live out what you say.

Think: Observe yourself. Are you really doing the hard work of living righteously?

Pray: “Lord, help me to live righteously, no matter the difficulty.”

Are You A Brood Of Vipers?

“Are You A Brood Of Vipers?” By Kirk Hunt

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Matthew 3:7 NKJV

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious leaders and Scriptural (Torah) scholars of the era. John the Baptist, as the son of the Temple Priest, Zacharias, likely knew many of them personally. One must wonder why John deliberately called the religious elite “vipers.”

It is easy to criticize leaders, right or wrong. In too many cases, the revelation of bad behavior and villainous schemes of leaders is the source of the criticism. In too many other cases, the mismatch between the words spoken from the lectern, and the lives led in the streets, is the reason for disdain.

Consider the moneychangers (merchants) in the Temple. The violation of the Mosaic law, and the sanctity of that holy place, was tolerated because the High Priest and other Temple officials were being paid. A clear violation of the letter and spirit of the Law they claimed to love so much.

We associate snakes with sin, evil and deception. By calling them Vipers, John deliberately references the poison that some snake breeds use to better devour their prey. There is no subtleness in John’s message.

Consider the Christian life you live. Does it match the Christian Gospel you preach? I pray that men and women see you as a child of God and not as a walking snake.

Think: Does my life match the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Why or why not?

Pray: “Lord, help me to live in obedience to Your Word and Spirit.”

Believe The Truth

“Believe The Truth” By Kirk Hunt

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 NKJV

Apostle Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians to warn God’s people to love the truth and reject lies. The truth is often simpler and less complicated than the lie. The problem is that the lie appeals to something sinful in us.

All too short a time after the establishment of the Church at Thessaloniki, someone was teaching that Jesus had already returned and raptured His Church. Paul spoke against this apostasy but then addressed the deeper issue of loving the truth.

Paul states it is important for God’s people to cultivate a love for the truth. He states just as clearly that men and women can take “pleasure in unrighteousness.” Which do you choose; truth or unrighteousness?

Addicts believe the drug is a benefit. Adulterers believe in their reasons to lie and betray. Swindlers believe the money in your account is theirs, rather than yours. Of course, there are subtler ways to believe a lie, rather than the truth.

Do you love the truth, rather than a lie? Are you willing to believe a lie and be damned? The choice is binary. Either you seek God’s truth or you love the enemy’s lies. Believing the lie means accepting a delusion that leads to condemnation.

Believing the lie requires that you set aside the facts and data. Loving the truth makes it easier to spot the lies. Seek His righteousness. It is easier in the long-run.

Think: Do I really seek the truth, or do I prefer unrighteousness?

Pray: “Lord, help me to love Your truth and righteousness.”

The King’s Actions

“The King’s Actions” By Kirk Hunt

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Matthew 2:17 NKJV

King Herod actions cannot be seen as anything other than ruthless, cruel and monstrous. He ordered the death of every male child in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas. His purpose in murdering babies? Preserving his station and power.

Warned through a dream from God, the wise men outwitted and outmaneuvered Herod. Herod then resorted to brute force to achieve his ends. From his position of power and wealth, Herod delivered death to the cradles and cribs of Bethlehem.

The result? God’s omniscience and omnipotence again thwarted Herod. Jesus and His family found safety in Egypt. Herod could never have overthrown the building of God’s Kingdom, but he tried.

The massacre of the innocents is not all that is recorded of Herod’s reign. Herod established the Herodian Dynasty. He also re-built the Second Temple, expanded the Temple complex, and brought water to Jerusalem.

Herod’s construction projects and political accomplishments are not the mainstay of his legacy. Instead, he is remembered as a murderous, blood-soaked tyrant who impoverished his own people.

What actions are you taking? Are they part of building God’s Kingdom? When you stand before God, the True King, what will He say of your actions?

Think: Are my actions designed to build God’s Kingdom, or something else?

Pray: “Lord, help me to take the actions that build Your Kingdom.”

Do You Persecute?

“Do You Persecute?” By Kirk Hunt

Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city

Matthew 23:34 NKJV
Read also Matthew 23: 31-36

Neither foreigners nor pagans persecuted any of the Old Testament prophets. Their own supposedly devout countrymen and kinsmen tortured and murdered them. Why? The greater your sin, the harder it is to hear the truth. Just ask Cheney, Goodman and Schwerner.

The prophets, scribes and others called God’s people back from sin and error. Often they were met with violent opposition. Even when Jesus walked the earth, men and women often met God’s truth with unrighteous responses.

James, Andrew and Michael left the safety of their homes to help register men and women to vote in their local elections. Instead of being congratulated for their American spirit they were brutalized and murdered under the cover of darkness. The very men (and women) charged with keeping them safe participated in the heinous act or protected the perpetrators.

The terrorists were American sons, born and bred on American soil. Their targets? Other Americans born and bred just as they were. Sort of.

Jesus was sent to the Cross for healing the sick then preaching grace and truth. Here in America, the land of my fathers, truth has also been met with violence and murder. Still, many brave souls continue to speak out God’s truth.

Roman hands may have swung the hammers, but it was Jewish priests and leaders who sought Jesus’ blood. What is your response? Do you persecute truth-tellers or do you respond in God’s grace?

Think: Do I encourage those who speak God’s truth, or do I persecute them?

Pray: “Lord, help me to hear Your truth and respond with grace and humility.”

Bad Princes

“Bad Princes” By Kirk Hunt

Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,

Nehemiah 9:34 NKJV

Nehemiah spent a lot of his time and energy getting national leadership to do the right thing. The Hebrew word for “princes” (see Strong’s 8269) refers to a “chief (captain), general, governor.” Nehemiah first called to repentance the very people who should have been the best behaved. God’s Law was not inadequate or incomplete. They chose to ignore or violate the Law to line their pockets and fill their purses.

Nehemiah faced widespread corruption among those who knew better. The leaders were supposed to respond according to the Law. The leaders became rich while the “regular folk” became poor, or in some cases, literal slaves. The problem was not pagan outsiders. The problem was greedy or immoral insiders. Nor could they claim they “did not know.”

Modern “princes” include more than members of Congress or State legislatures. Relatively senior members of the Judicial, Legislative or Executive Branches of government, State or National, are “princes.” The higher-ranking leaders of Corporations and other Commercial Interests are also “princes” by this definition. If you have a higher rank, and/or a higher paycheck, you are included in this group.

It is easy to blame foreign strangers. It is harder work to hold insiders of rank and privilege accountable. The problem is rarely a marauding outsider. Much more likely, the problem is an insider who is supposed to be the solution.

If you want compliance with God’s Law, as expressed in Scripture, then you have to get involved. Do not let a “prince” claim they “did not know.” Even “princes” can be held accountable, if you have the courage to call them on their unrighteousness.

Think: It is easy to blame others. Usually, the problem starts among ourselves.

Pray: “Lord, help me, and my leadership, to obey Your Scripture.”