"He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor"
he who pursues
This clearly means that we must go after the right things in life. There is a pursuit of what is right and a pursuit of what is wrong. It is the person who, in the power of God, pursues what is right that pleases God. What does your day suggest that you are pursuing?
righteousness
Doing the right thing. There are all kinds of voices out there that will tell you to really enjoy life and that you must bend the rules; but if you bend the rules or break them in order to get ahead in life or have what you think you want or need, then when you get there life will not be waiting for you but instead a haunting loneliness and cheater’s emptiness. You couldn't play by the rules and win. When we are seeking life, we are tempted to go after our version of life -- cheating and lying and selfishness. It is this pursuit that will not render us the prize. For the prize of life and significance and order comes from pursuing righteousness and lovingkindness -- being involved in a race everyday to see that others win.
loyalty
This is the new definition of the word chesed, which has always been translated love or lovingkindness. The more recent translation of loyalty seems to gut the power of the proverb. It is not that the people are pursuing loyalty to those in their life that they need or should be loyal to, but instead it is that they are pursuing love and seeking to meet the needs of the people in their life. They are seeking diligently to find a way to please and pursue the people in their life. It is not through the unabashed clamoring after your own stuff and your own way that you get real life and significance and order to your world; it is through the pursuit of righteousness and lovingkindess. It is when I am more interested in my spouse winning and my children winning and my parents winning today that I really win.
We are too selfish and are being applauded for our putting ourselves first. Then we wonder why we are so empty in our lives. One does not find life in this selfish pursuit.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz