Jesus said, "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20 NRSV Bible)
Integrity is a great thing, but righteousness is even a more important concept. It carries the idea of doing right, but also of our "rightness" with God. We are to do right always because that is what God requires of us.

Theologian Soren Kierkegaard once said: "Most people believe that the Christian Commandments are intentionally a little too severe--like setting a clock half and hour ahead to make sure of not being late in the morning." Cable TV wizard, Ted Turner said once that the Ten Commandments are out of date. I wonder which ones he would scrap. "Thou shalt not kill?" His guards wouldn't go for that.. Or "Thou shalt not steal?" Try stealing CNN's signal without paying for it. Probably he had in mind, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." A cartoon in a national magazine showed Moses with two tablets under his arm coming down a mountain. "I've got good news and bad news," he said. "the good news is I got Him down to ten. The bad news is adultery is still in there."

Jesus did not intentionally make his teachings a little too severe. He knew that happiness comes from living according to God's laws. Breaking those laws brings unhappiness and even death. The life of righteousness is the life God intends for us to live.

Dear Jesus, may righteousness touch every aspect of my life, and thank you for giving me when I fall short. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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