the wicked detest the upright. (NIV)
An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and
he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked. (KJV)
We've studied before, and asked ourselves if we are honest. If we are righteous. If we are godly. Today I found a verse that opened my eyes about the topic, "Am I upright?"
Who is upright? This verse tells us that the honest and righteous person is upright. The verse I found, Job 8:6, gives us another clue:
if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your prosperous state.If our desire is to be upright, we must be pure.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:9-11
If we desire to be upright, we must ask God to help us avoid sins:
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression. Psalm 19:13
If we are upright, we will be rejoicing; we will be glad in the Lord; we will be righteous:
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart! Psalm 32:11
Are we upright?
As humans we all struggle with this. And I often have trouble with exactly what being upright is. We can't be perfect, only He is, and I've often felt that I have to be perfect, to be "righteous". It must be that old devil trying to confuse and divert me. If I am understanding what you have said, to be upright is to do your best to turn from sin, to ask for His help in doing so.
ReplyDeleteBeing pure in heart is a hard job, but we can with help from He who is whiter than snow!