SINCERELY SEEK THE LORD GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

Proclamation:

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”  Proverbs 21:21 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King Solomon.  In the midst of his discourse contrasting the wise man with the wicked, he states that those who pursue righteousness will be blessed with life, prosperity, and honor.  He means whoever desires it and honestly seeks it will be rewarded with more than they asked for.  Those who hunger and thirst after it, they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6) 

Application:

The Bible says that if we honestly seek after righteousness, we will find it. (Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7-8, and Luke 11:9-10)  This is more than just seeking an understanding of His Holy Word by hearing and reading it, but also by living it and doing what it says. (Romans 2:13 and James 1:22)  Those who seek The Lord God and His righteousness will also find long life, (Proverbs 3:16) and eternal life (John 17:2) in addition to the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 26:18 and Ephesians 1:7) and honor in the sight of The Lord (Roman 8:30) if not also in the sight of man.  For whomever The Lord God justifies He also glorifies.  We should first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else that we need will be given to us including some blessings that we did not ask for. (Matthew 6:33)

Long Life And Prosperity

"My son, do not forget My teaching, but keep My commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity."  Proverbs 3:1-2 (NIV)

In this parental appeal, King Solomon wrote the commands and principals which The Lord God gave to the people through him.  Addressing the young people, these "teachings" here refer to the law of God.  The Word of God was to be remembered, and obeyed.  Those who did so would enjoy a long life and prosperity. 

Here we are taught to live a life in constant communion with The Lord God.  His law should guide our every thought, word, and action.  In order to encourage us to submit to His law, He assured that if we do so, we would enjoy a long and prosperous life.  This long life refers not only to the length of our days here on earth, but also to the length of our days for ever and ever. (Psalms 21:4)

Want Favor In The Sight Of The Lord?

"Keep My commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.  Let love and faithfulness never leave ... your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."  Proverbs 3:1-4 (NIV)

King Solomon, the son of King David, said that by keeping God's commandments, a person will have a long life and prosperity.  He also said that by demonstrating love and faithfulness, the part of us that comes from God, we will gain the favor of God and man.

By exercising good Christian behavior, we will be blessed with a long life and prosperity.  By behaving in a Christ-like manner, we will gain favor in the sight of God.  The best way to do that is to read and meditate on The Word of God and to live by what it says.  We must not only be readers and hearers of The Word, but we must be doers of The Word also. (James1:22)

We Can Choose To Be Blesssed Or Cursed

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many ..." Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (NIV)

After giving them the ten commandments a second time, Moses told the parents that they were to teach their children The Word of God in all places and at all times, so that it would become instilled within their hearts. By doing so they would bring long life to themselves and their children.

What we teach our children is a reflection on us. It is our responsibility, and not the responsibility of the church or the school, to teach our children The Word of God. We should read it to them, speak it to them, and live it in front of them, so that it becomes ingrained within them. We have a choice, we can obey The Word of God and be blessed, or we can choose to be disobedient and be cursed. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28) What we do not only effects our lives but also effects the lives of our children.

Good Health A Long Life And Happiness

"So be careful to do what The Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that The Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (NIV)

After Moses had given the ten commandments to the people, he told them to be careful and to do as The Lord had commanded them. Walking in the way of The Lord was likened to following a straight path which they were not to deviate from. Following God would bring them long life and prosperity.

Keeping the ten commandments will not save you if you do not believe in Jesus, The Christ, The Son of God. However, if you believe and endeavor to keep the commandments, you will be blessed with good health, a long life, and prosperity.

Thank God For The Victories And The Blessings

"O Lord, the king rejoices in Your strength. How great is his joy in the victories You give! You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked You for life, and You gave it to him, length of days, for ever and ever. Through the victories You gave, his glory is great; You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely You have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of Your presence." Psalm 21:1-6 (NIV)

While Psalm 20 was a song of praise before the battle, Psalm 21 is a song of thanks and praise after the victory has been won. Here, according to John MacArthur, King David offers a celebration after a battle, a thanksgiving for victory. We see his prayer and praise to God, both before and after battle, because it is God who grants the victory.

Each day of our lives we are at war with the devil. In this war there are many battles as we are attacked on all sides. The war is not over but we know how this war ends, Jesus has already defeated Satan and we have the victory. However, we need to thank God for each of the victories over every attack that we faced. No matter how small or large the battle, we need to pray and praise God for the victory, beforehand and afterwards. This test is not about the attacks, the battles, the storms, or whatever temptations, trials, or tribulations that we face. This is about our prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God for our daily victories and blessings.

Want A Long Productive Prosperous Life?

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of The Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;" Psalms 92:12-14

The palm tree, in a barren land, is watered by deep roots. The cedars of Lebanon grow tall and are long-lived. Being planted in the courtyard of the temple is symbolic of thriving, in spite of the conditions, and prosperity for those who maintain a close relationship with The Lord. He will provide a permanent security and long lasting prosperity, even into old age.

The righteous shall have a fruitful and prosperous long life.

Want To Gain Favor With God?

"... Forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments; For length of days, long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck ... So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man." Proverbs 3:1-4

A peaceful, long life and God's favour, that should make any Christian happy. You too can enjoy these blessings, all you have to do is believe and follow The Word of God.

If we keep God's word in our heart and on our mind, and have mercy and truth become a part of us so that we demonstrate acts of loving-kindness, we will have favour in the sight of God.