Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
Whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the ways of the Lord are right,
And the righteous will walk in them,
But transgressors will stumble in them.
This verse is Hosea 14:9 and is a powerful word that is so relevant to our everyday lives In Christ. It tells us that one of the characteristics of a wise and discerning person is to understand that the ways of the Lord are right. That seems so simple, but grasping that reality probably determines whether we are going to live in victory in our daily life as much as anything else.
There are a lot of things that go on in our lives that we have no control over, and our response to those little and big surprises is critical. If we live our lives seeing things through the lenses of our fallen and self-willed sense of right and wrong (The tree of the knowledge of good and evil), then we will constantly be disappointed, frustrated, angry, and depressed. If we are, on the other hand, living in the surrendered realm of His Lordship, then we will be able to discern that He always reigns, and that He is doing everything RIGHT. To walk in that reality is to be righteous. To stumble over that is to be a transgressor. It’s that simple, the righteous respond to Him in every situation, acknowledging that He is RIGHT, and the transgressor responds to the situation and determines that things are just WRONG.
I’m so grateful that God is Good, but I’m equally grateful that He is Right. Someone who is good, but doesn’t know what he is doing doesn’t bring me much comfort, but someone who is Good, and is Wise enough and Big enough to always do what is Right, is someone I can rest in.