Proverbs 21:21. Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.
Here’s another “you reap what you sow” proverb. The person who “sows” righteousness and kindness will reap life, righteousness, and honor in return.
One of the greatest examples of this from the Old Testament is the story of Ruth. Ruth left behind her home country to pursue Naomi, her widowed and bereft mother-in-law. Ruth refused to turn around and go back home. She stayed. She committed. She covenanted. Where you go, I go. Where you stay, I stay. In pursuing Naomi, she was pursuing righteousness and kindness (that most important of Hebrew words, hesed). She literally kept Naomi (now Mara or “bitter”) from curling up and dying. The result? She found life from God in the form of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer of Naomi’s family. In Boaz, Ruth found righteousness for her own plight, and honor within a community that was trained to hate her. In her redeemer, she found life.
Of course, as we said a couple days ago, “reap what you sow” doesn’t always come true. Why not? Because we live in a fallen world where anything can, and likely will, go wrong no matter how righteous and kind we may be.
The greatest example of this is Jesus himself. Jesus pursued righteousness and kindness. Perfectly. In fact, he is the only person to pursue righteousness and kindness without fail. Without falling short. He was always righteous. Always just. Always kind. Always loving. Always merciful. The result?
Crucifixion.
The farthest things from righteousness and honor. Jesus received false accusations, lies, tortures, shame, guilt, disgrace, hell and death.
But God the Father would not leave him there. In the end, Christ arose to life, righteousness, and honor. He ascended on high to rule over all creation. One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Hallelujah!
What does this mean? It means that, in Christ, reap what you sow holds true. Maybe not on this side of Heaven, but definitely on the other side. All who pursue the righteousness and kindness of Christ WILL find his life in their pursuit. They will find righteousness and honor at the judgment seat of Christ.
How do I know?
Because the story doesn’t begin with us pursuing Christ’s righteousness and kindness, but with his righteousness and kindness pursuing us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He came for us. He pursued us. He found us. He carried us home.
By our union with Christ, the more we think about how kind and forgiving God is to us, the more we will be able to pursue righteousness and kindness for others. Justice for the weak. Mercy for sinners. Grace for the needy. And love for all.
You: What does pursuing kindness look like for you?
You in Christ: Why must we embrace that God pursued us before we can ever pursue him?
Christ in you: How might you pursue kindness today? Make a plan.
Pray: Father, your kindness brought me to repentance. May it move me to do righteousness for others too. Amen.
To Live is Christ 