As we can see here, righteousness is the great issue in Jesus’ heart and life. His deepest desire is to please His Father. He wants and is doing only those things that fulfill His Father’s wishes. From beginning to end it is “not My will but Yours be done.” This is the place we must come to. I don’t know about you, but I struggle with what I think God’s plan should be. It doesn’t make sense for me to think this way, but I sometimes believe that my little brain can come up with a better plan than God can. So I devise a ministerial strategy, hold it up to God, and ask God to bless my plan. Jesus, on the other hand, is watching for the Father’s plan and joining it.

Righteousness is what God is all about and what we have to become all about.

1. God wants a relationship with us.

2. We want to do something important.

3. God wants to do His ministry in and through us.

4. We want to do something that we can get the credit for.

5. God wants to meet the everyday needs of His people.

6. We want to do something that is very spectacular.

Fulfilling all righteousness (doing those things that blesses us and others) helps us die out to our own selfish desires and yield to the will of God for us and all those around us. God doesn’t flow through unrighteousness. Everyone gets cheated with unrighteousness. Righteousness brings the blessings of God in us and through us to others. We need righteousness credited to our account. And, we need righteousness flowing through our lives. Salvation brought righteousness as being credited to our account so we could start receiving God’s help. Christ’s ministry in us causes righteousness to flow in and through our lives so we can be a help to ourselves and those around us.

Mat 16:24 (NIV) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

As we discussed in the beginnings of this study, this Scripture shows us what Christ’s ministry in us looks like.