Is There Really No One Who Is Righteous?

As an excuse for not having to perform deeds to try and not sin, I hear people quote the following verse from the Christian scriptures (NT):

     Romans 3:10 - "As it is written; "There is no one righteous, not even one."  (NIV)

As it is written...where is "it written"?  It is PART OF Psalm 14:1-7.  Putting it into context, a completely different application becomes visible:

      "THE FOOL HAS SAID in his heart, "There is no God."  They have done corruptly, they have done an abominable deed, there is no one who does good.  The Lord looked down from the heavens on the sons of mankind, to see if there is a wise one, seeking the Lord.  They have all turned aside, they have together become filthy; no one is DOING good, not even one.  Have all the workers of wickedness no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the Lord? There they are in great fear, for the Lord is with the generation of the righteous.  You would put to shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge.  Oh that the deliverance of Israel would be given out of Zion!  When the Lord turns back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad."

Hmmmm, sounds to me like in context, the Hebrew Scriptures (OT) that the NT verse is referring to, is really talking about corruption in the world; that no one is doing good, BUT the Lord is with the generation of the righteous.  In context, this is not saying there is no one who was/can be/will be righteous.

The other problem I've found, is that there are many verses in the NT that refute the Romans 3:10 claim, for example:

     Matthew 10:41 - "....whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person reward." (NIV)

     1 John 3:7 - "Little children, let no one deceive you.  Whoever practices righteousness is righteous...." (ESV)

     2 Peter 2:8 - "....Lot was righteous." 

And an example in the Hebrew Scriptures:

     Malachi 3:18 - "And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

 Next question:  What does being "righteous" mean?

It does NOT mean a person never sins.  It is a person who sins, repents, is forgiven and pursues a life to change his ways.  It is a person who seeks to justify our Creator, such as Job when he said, "The LORD gives and takes.  Blessed be the Name of God."  Even in his loss, he is justifying the Creator; therefore he's righteous.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a Child...

As I was reading a book, in the section of raising children, I came to an eye opening sentence.  It was on Proverbs 22:6.  The book stated this verse as such:

"Educate the child according to his own way..."

This wording seemed odd to me; having always read it from an NIV or NAS, or other English version, so, I looked it up in my NAS Bible, as well as my Tanach (Hebrew Scriptures).  Here's what I found:

NAS Version:  "Train up a child in the way he should go..."  BUT, next to the word "in" is a mark, indicating reference information on this.  When I looked at the reference for this mark, in the NAS Bible, it says, "Lit (which means literally) according to his way."

Tanach Version:  "Train the youth according to his way..."

Question:  Why did the English translators feel the need to replace the original words and meaning?  These two statements do not mean the same thing; according to HIS way vs the way he SHOULD go!

The original sentence makes so much more sense, in light of the fact that every child has different needs, learns differently, has different characteristics, etc.  No two children are alike!  So, train them according to the way they learn, and then when they grow up they won't depart from it.

Who's the Captain of Your Life?

As my family and I went on a boat ride, the ocean was a bit rough.  As I experienced this ride, I looked out at the sea from the front cabin and then from the back of the boat.  I'd like to share what the LORD put in my mind concerning our spiritual walk with Him:


First, let me explain what I went through from looking at the ocean from both views of the boat.  From the front, as I saw the waves coming at us, splashing up, the boat going over the waves and, at times, crashing down when there were big ones. I was filled with fear, wanted to stop & just be delivered back to shore, wanted to tell the captain what to do, etc.  It was not a place I wanted to stay.

Then, because I just couldn't take seeing all that, I went to the back of the boat.  I was so much calmer for all I saw were the seas after we'd passed over each wave.  I saw how far we'd come, rather than how far we still had to go to reach our destination.

Spiritual application:

We need to ask ourselves: "Am I a person who likes to be at the front of the boat where all the action is but living in fear, anxiety, telling the Captain (God) how to direct the boat (our lives) as I argue about or disagreeing with what/how He's doing things, telling Him where I want to go? Or am I a person who would rather just go for the ride, resting in assurance that the Captain (God) has everything under control, fully trusting in Him to direct the boat (our lives) through whatever life brings, and thus safely bringing me to the destination He has planned for me, for HIS GLORY?

Though it's hard sometimes, I find myself much happier sitting in the back of the boat, trusting the Captain.  I don't want to be in the front, filled with fear, telling the Captain how to do His "job", etc.

Celebrate - Lev 22:29-30

"And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.  It shall be eaten on the same day, you shall leave none of it until morning:  I am the LORD."  Lev. 22:29-30

A friend shared what came to mind when they really thought about this, and I loved what they said, so I'm sharing:

When sacrifices were made, it was whole animals; that means a LOT of food/meat.  This had to be eaten the same day.  To consume this amount, it could very well have been possible that families invited others over to celebrate with them, and this was a sacrifice of thanksgiving. 
In our society, we gather together to celebrate birthdays, holidays, etc.  Why don't we start holding celebrations (cookouts) of thanksgiving to our LORD for things that He's done in our lives; giving Him thanks and blessing Him?  Sounds like an excellent idea to me.