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A Righteous Mission

Here at City Gates Initiative, we have discovered a theme that surfaces every now and then – and that theme is that a righteous mission drives personal righteousness. If we try to be brave, more trusting of God or more righteous in isolation our progress tends to fizzle out quickly. The characteristics that we value; love, bravery, faith, righteousness and countless others do not exist in a vacuum. They require a setting both to grow and to be exercised.

The first mention of Gideon in scripture is when an angel of the Lord appeared and called him a mighty hero. He was living in fear of the Midianites who were oppressing Israel. His family had altars on their property to Baal, the Midianite god. Up until this point, there had been nothing about Gideon to suggest he was either mighty or a hero. 

However, God doesn’t stop there. He says that Gideon is going to be the one to rescue Israel.  Gideon gradually learns to trust God more and more. He stops asking for signs and moves in faith toward the objectives that God lays out. Eventually, he secures the deliverance of Israel and in the process becomes the mighty hero that God had called him to be. The righteous mission that God has called Gideon into led to renewed righteousness in his personal life as well.

And so it is with us. If you feel weak in your faith or alone in your walk, find a righteous mission. Get involved in some good that God is doing somewhere. Lean on the built-in community that comes from joining God and other like-minded people in the pursuit of a worthy mission and you will find yourself growing as well.