Rom 1:17 (NIV) For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Righteousness is us only doing good things for ourselves, other people, and God’s plan. This keeps us from doing bad things to ourselves, others, and God’s plan. AND, it keeps us from being too busy to do good things for ourselves, other people, and God’s plan. Rom 10:11-12 (NIV) As the Scripture says, “Anyone who TRUSTS in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who CALL on Him.

If our faith, trust, reliance, and dependence is in God as our total supply, we will have time to help others. If our faith, trust, reliance, and dependence is in ourselves as our total supply, we will be too busy helping ourselves. This righteousness only becomes ours when we give the issues of our life over to God. Since righteousness is us only doing good things for ourselves, other people, and God’s plan, we have to have a daily source of supply that doesn’t require that we spend all of our time taking care of ourselves. That’s where the verse comes in: The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who CALL on Him . That’s where the verse comes in: Phil 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Mark 4:18-19 (NIV) Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

• “Worries of this life” are problems, struggles, and difficulties that are happening to us and we try to solve them ourselves rather than joining Jesus and working together with Him.
• “Deceitfulness of wealth” is where we get our own job, start our own career, or spend all our time trying to make a living, get ahead, and pay our bills rather than allowing Jesus to guide us and tell us what He wants us to do.
• “Desires for other things” is where our attention is on seeking first the things of this world rather than doing this: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these THINGS will be given to you as well (Mat 6:33).

Making Jesus the Lord of our life is making Him our boss; He is in charge and we aren’t. If we say “Jesus is Lord” and He isn’t, then we need to check on our salvation. “The righteous WILL live by faith.” Our faith, trust, reliance, and dependence must be in Him or the gospel hasn’t had an effect on our life. AND, if it hasn’t had an effect on our life, then we don’t have time to live a righteous life because we don’t have time to only doing good things for ourselves, other people, and God’s plan.

Eph 2:8 (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Jesus is providing us a life that transforms us into a person who involves themselves in win/win situations. It is a power to tap into the provisions, resources, and supplies of God. But, it transforms us into a person who doesn’t try to just use them for themselves, they become a river that flows into the lives of others.

Eph 2:9 (NIV) Not by works, so that no one can boast. This transformation and love for our neighbor as our self, comes to us as a gift. We can’t buy it, trade for it, steal it, or earn it. Jesus turns us into this kind of person as a free gift. But, once we receive this gift, Jesus expects us to make Him the Lord of our life. If we do that, we will start helping others win at life right along with us.

Eph 2:10 (NIV) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. This is when we start doing those things that help us pass our final exam with Jesus. The whole event is presented in Matthew 25:34-46. Let’s look at the part where you pass your final exam.

Mat 25:34-36 (NIV) Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.” How did you do all these wonderful things for Jesus? Mat 25:40 (NIV) The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.”

Luke 12:16-21 (NIV) And He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” This is what a lake looks like; things flow in but can’t flow out.

Mark 10:29-30 (NIV) “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for Me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” This is what a river looks like; the blessings and provisions of God flow into us and out of us into the lives of others. John 7:38 (AKJV) He that believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

These shoes of the gospel of peace are also made up of a compassion for the physical as well as the spiritual needs of others. Sometimes the only message hurting-people can hear is a message of hope for their physical distress. The thing that often discourages people from trying to address all the physical hurts and needs around them is because of their magnitude. We feel like the disciples when Jesus told them to feed the multitude. We feel like the needs are too great. We don’t have enough resources.

Mark 6:37 (NIV) But He answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to Him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

The question isn’t, what can we do? The question is, what can Jesus do? That is why we are going to need to be prospered with a hundred times all these things. It isn’t so we can hoard them. It is so we can take care of the needy. This is also a part of putting the shoes of the gospel of peace on.