Whoever pursues righteousness and love

    finds life, prosperity and honor.

Proverbs 21:21

There is a degrading, heartless cult of overwork in the world right now. Historians say that the average medieval peasant worked fewer days per year and travelled more than the average American worker (religious pilgrimages were the most common “vacation” for them). But hustle culture persists.

For Christians, we have higher priorities. We know Paul said that loving money is the root of all kinds of evil things (1 Timothy 6:10). We also know that going after Spiritual things leads to better rewards. The Proverb says that pursuing love and righteousness leads to life, prosperity and honor. Those things are not just feel-good intangibles.

Life is given by God, and by pursuing his righteousness we are brought into a closer relationship with the Giver of life. Furthermore, you extend your life among even wicked people if you do good to them because even the worst sinner will hesitate to harm someone who helps them.

Prosperity is a word we can be hesitant to insist on as Spiritual people; do we want to say God gives riches? Jesus talks about doing good in secret as individuals so that I’m not trying to exalt myself but instead storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6). But if you are giving to the poor as Jesus says there, that means you had something to give! God provides that abundance as long as we use it in righteousness. By pursuing love and righteousness, we make sure our priority is to continue that way, even if we find prosperity.

Finally, honor does not only mean accolades. As mentioned above, we don’t do good for the credit. What it does mean is the kind of recognition that one gets when they are known for being a kind, loving person who does the right thing. That reputation is not one we should try to avoid. There is no vanity in being a trusted friend.

Pursue righteousness and love. What you will get will help you to go even further.

Ethan Kirl