All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
-Isaiah 64:6
The promise of God has always been that when we are righteous we are blessed. The problem comes when we lack a proper understanding of what constitutes righteousness and what is meant by blessings. We must understand that righteousness is not something we acquire and accomplish on our own strength. The Bible teaches that true righteousness only comes from God. We are incapable of being righteous ourselves. We can only be righteous by the power of God. When we start trying to attain righteousness on own strength we will quickly become frustrated and burdened. The Bible teaches that our righteousness when compared with God’s righteousness leaves ours looking shabby and ineffectual. The scripture says that our righteousness is as filthy rags by comparison. There is a righteousness that comes from God and it can only be acquired through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We also sometimes misunderstand what constitutes blessings. People today are associating blessing with financial wealth, and clearly that is not at all what the Bible teaches. Just because you are not a millionaire does not mean you aren’t blessed. There are many other ways which the blessings of God can come into our lives apart from having a lot of money. No where in the Bible did the Lord Jesus promise financial wealth to His followers. In fact, Jesus promised that if we follow Him we just might suffer persecution, distress, people would mock us, and our own families might turn their backs upon us. True blessings come as the result of having the Lord in our lives – His Spirit dwelling within us, our sins washed away, and our home in Heaven secured. That is the basis of any and all blessing.
When we trust in God, we learn what true blessings are all about. Seeking the Lord, striving to live an honorable life of integrity, and living out the teaching of Jesus lead us to the true riches of God's grace.
