A Righteuos Life Is A Choice

By Hellen J. Kuleskey

Our God is a righteous God and when we become His children through the sacrifice of His Son, He expects us to live righteously. He is not expecting what is humanly impossible because He made us righteous in Christ. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

In our standing before God, we are righteous because of the sacrifice of Jesus. But a righteous walk or manner of life is a choice. We can choose to keep the commands of God or continue to behave according to the dictates of the flesh. We can choose the thoughts we entertain (dwell on) and the words we speak. We can choose whether our eyes will look upon evil or upon that which is wholesome and good.

Some Christians believe that man cannot live a holy life although God commands it. “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). A false belief exists among many who are ignorant of the Word of God. They hold that if a person attends a church on Sunday and confesses his sins and receives forgiveness, he or she can go out and live as they please again. That is not the righteous lifestyle God demands.
The Lord through the prophet Isaiah gives us some specific insights into what is righteous in several areas of life. He says that the man who lives a righteous life and speaks what is right will do the following:

1. He rejects the profit he would gain by extortion (overcharging or demanding money by threats or force).
2. He does not accept bribes.
3. He won’t listen to plots of murder.
4. He won’t look at or study evil.

Isaiah links a righteous walk with speaking what is right because both our lifestyle and our speech stem from the heart. “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings the evil that is stored up in him” (Matt. 12:34).

1. A man who has good things stored in his heart handles money righteously. He will not make a profit dishonestly because he loves the Lord more than money and the power it gives him. The Apostle Paul writing to Timothy warns about the love of money. “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim 6:10). A man who can be trusted with money management is a mature man in the faith.

2. Along with extortion, God hates the taking of bribes. The prophet Samuel in his farewell speech to Israel said, “...Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes?” (1 Sam. 12:3) That is the reason God hates bribery. It perverts justice. The wisest man, Solomon, wrote: “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice” (Prov. 21:3). “A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live” (Prov. 15:27). Bribery like extortion has no hold on a man who walks righteously. “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8).

3. The life God gives to a human being is precious. How His heart must grieve when one person takes the life of another. God knows the wicked heart of fallen man, therefore He commands us over and over again not to commit murder: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, ‘Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for someone’s blood, let’s waylay some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave...we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot with us’.... My son, do not go along with them” (Prov. 1:10-15a).

4. In these days of advanced technology, it is easy for us to set our eyes and minds on evil through what we watch on TV or what we view on the Internet. What we see affects our thinking and leads us into sin, which though it be practiced privately, affects every area of our lives and those close to us. “For as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7a).
   Sinners believe they are the ones who have a good time in this life and that a straight, righteous life is dull. But God tells us He rewards righteousness in the life to come and in this present life. He rewards us here with His presence, His protection and His provision. This is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. His bread will be supplied and water will not fail him (Isa. 33: 33:16). Let us choose a righteous life and God’s blessings.
   

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