Spending time in prayer and reading God’s Word are necessary, but not in the way we’ve thought.
My goal to walk in righteousness and bear good fruit had led me to seek out the path to transformation. I still had some things to learn about fruit. My search had brought about a realization of the part that walking in the spirit, renewing the mind, and beholding the glory of the Lord played in transformation. Although nearly every teaching I heard and commentary I read said differently, from my study of God’s Word I had come to believe these things had nothing whatsoever to do with my efforts to read the Word, spend time with God in prayer, or meditate on His attributes. If my doing these things was what finally brought change, then my righteousness would have been a result of my works.
Sure, I knew I couldn’t be saved by works….
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8,9
Most of us know that, but if the opinions I’d heard and read were correct, then once saved by grace through faith, it was then up to me and my efforts to complete the process. Thankfully, Paul had said otherwise.
Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Galatians 3:3
So, does this mean that these things don’t need to be done? Are reading the Word of God and prayer unnecessary? Not at all. It’s just that they are not the root of righteousness, they are the fruit of righteousness. There is only one thing that makes us righteous before God, and it has nothing to do with our efforts and everything to do with His. (II Corinthians 5:21) We are not trying to get righteous. We already are. Our righteousness is already accomplished!
My perception concerning the purpose of reading, praying, and obeying was entirely backwards. The truth is…
works don’t result in righteousness…righteousness results in works.
We must change our perspective. Spending time in prayer and reading God’s Word are necessary, but not in the way we’ve thought. These things are not something we do to attain something. Let’s not do them to try to get something we’ve already got. Remember, they’re the fruit…not the root!
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