Welcome to Day 171 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about finding nourishment in the Word of God to get us through the day. In each devotional, I take a variety of scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses each) and build our understanding of what they teach via their context and connecting scripture. My goal is to help you understand how to be the type of human God created you to be. Today’s passage is Proverbs 21:21.

Proverbs 21:21

NASB	NLT	VOICE
21 One who pursues righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness, and honor	21 Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.	21 Whoever pursues justice and treats others with kindness discovers true life marked by integrity and respect.

Today’s devotion will be a word study. I want to dive into the two things we pursue: righteousness and loyalty and the three things we’ll find: righteousness, life, and honor.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

The only thing we’ll pursue and find. Righteousness is the Hebrew noun tsdaqah (tse-daw-kaw’). It’s righteousness in the sense of ethical conduct and moral integrity. It involves having a right relationship with God and community, meeting the needs of them and the commands of God, and living a godly life. It’s the descriptor of God’s character and expectations of his people. It reflected God’s nature and his desire for us to share with our community. We did this through fair treatment of others, caring for the poor and marginalized, and following God’s command.

How do you treat others? How do you care for those in need? How responsive are you to God’s command? If you seek ways of treating others with love and compassion, you will find God’s grace and compassion in all parts of your life. If you care for those who a marginalized and poor, you will find community and a way to stand for God to those in need, while reflecting compassion to meet their needs. If you follow God’s commands, you will find his blessing in different parts of your life.

LOYALTY // UNFAILING LOVE // KINDNESS

It’s the Hebrew noun checed (kheh’-sed). It encompasses the ideas of love, kindness, mercy, and loyalty. It’s interesting to think about these four grandiose concepts in today’s culture because they are vast and dense, can be shrunk down into one concept. It refers to acts of kindness and loyalty that go beyond the general duties and obligations of a standard relationship. It’s the ability to go above and beyond the foundation of what a relationship represents. It’s the expected behavior between parties in a covenant.

A requirement to go above and beyond the baseline agreements of a relationship feels uncomfy to us. It can put us in an uncomfortable situation because it can be hard to know what it means to go above and beyond, and to feel like it’s forced to do so. However, if we are dedicated to any relationship whether it’s ours with God, our significant other, a friend, our job, or something else, we will find ways to understand the other party and learn the different ways to go above and beyond to meet their needs and celebrate their existence.

LIFE

Life is the Hebrew noun chay (khah-ee). It refers to the state of being alive and living. Life was seen as a divine gift from God and was a deep part between of the covenant between us and God. Finding life because of our search for righteousness and love gives us a reason for existence. It gives a motivation to continue to be there for us and others, and to do the work that God commanded us to do.

HONOR

Honor is the Hebrew noun kabowd (kah-bohd). It describes the weightiness or significance of something or someone. It refers to God’s majestic presence and the manifestation of His divine attributes. It can also imply honor and respect given to people or significant objects. We can find the importance of God in all parts of life. God’s provision is found in our jobs, our family, and our relationships. God’s power is found in our darkness, struggles, and victories. God’s strength is found at our weakest moments, our battles, and our fights. Wherever we find God, we can praise him for being there for us.

Next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #172