Proverbs 21:21 He who pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.

Once again there are significant differences between the NIV and the Japanese. The Japanese reads, “He who pursues righteousness and integrity gains life, righteousness, and honor.” The point is, if we pursue the right things, we get better than we bargained for. I am reminded of Jesus’ famous statement that if we will seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, we will not only receive that, but all our physical needs as well. (Matthew 6:33) This verse says that if we pursue righteousness, we will get it, if we pursue integrity, we will get honor, and life itself is part of the package. That sounds pretty good to me! It’s important to notice that this isn’t talking about pursuing honor. Lots of people do that, to varying success. This verse tells us that if we want honor, we do well to pursue righteousness and integrity. Honors that are divorced from righteousness and integrity (and this world has a lot of those) are fleeting at best, and essentially meaningless. As it says in Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” That sort of “good name” is gained through righteousness and integrity.

At various times I have been painfully aware of what people thought of me, or what I thought they thought of me, and I know what a trap that is. I think we all have an innate hunger to be liked, to be acknowledged, but when we focus on other people to meet that hunger, we fall into all sorts of traps. We should be seeking God’s approval, for God to be pleased with us, and righteousness and integrity are certainly the path to that. I have adopted my father’s principle of absolute honesty, and that is certainly a core element of integrity. People should be able to count on me, that when I say something, I mean it. In my human weakness, sometimes my follow-through isn’t what it should be. Frankly, sometimes I forget what I have said I would do. That keeps me actively dependent on the Lord, not only for wisdom and strength, but also simply to remind me where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing! However, He’s wonderfully faithful to do that. I need to rest, relax, and rejoice, seeking above and before everything else to abide in Christ, because He is my righteousness, holiness, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Father, thank You for Your unfailing grace, Your love and mercy that are new every morning. Help me focus on being who and what You want me to be, in every detail, so that You may indeed delight in me. Thank You. Praise God!