Pursue Righteousness

1 Timothy 6:11 says:

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

In our first devotional of 2025, we will discuss the first word in 1 Timothy 6:11 that we need to pursue: righteousness.

The definition of righteousness is "the quality of being morally right or justifiable." But what does the Bible say about righteousness, and why must we pursue it?

When the Bible talks about righteousness, it talks about living in a right relationship with God and others. The Bible's standard of righteousness for humans is God's perfection in everything from attributes to words. There is one slight problem; we cannot achieve this alone.

We are sinful humans who, on our own, cannot live up to God's righteousness. God's standard is too high for us humans. But thankfully, because of the grace of Jesus Christ, the cleansing power of His blood, and the Holy Spirit living inside us, we, as Christians, can be made right with God. Because of Jesus, we can be called righteous.

You are called righteous because of what Jesus did for you.

In 2025, you need to pursue righteousness because you need to be made right with God. You need Jesus to set you free from the sin that is holding you captive. Without being made right with God, you are on a broad path that leads to destruction.

There is no better way to begin 2025 than being made right with God.