Practice, Practice, Practice

According to an age-old joke, a young man who is lost in Manhattan runs into a gentleman on the street. When the young man asks, “Excuse me, sir, how do I get to Carnegie Hall?” the gentleman earnestly replies, “Practice, practice, practice.” In all seriousness, the same answer can be given to the question, “How can I find righteousness?”

Righteousness is shown throughout the Bible as more than just faith, or a belief in God. It may be defined as faith in action. The first mention of righteousness is Genesis 6:9, which reports, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” Then in Genesis 15:6, we find that after being told of his impending prosperity, “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” In both examples, these great men didn’t just believe in God, they acted upon their faith. Noah lived a life that was pleasing to God. Abraham surrendered all disbelief and followed God.

Most often, we hear the word “righteous” used in the context of someone being “self-righteous.” A person accused of being such is normally seen as judgmental, narrow-minded, and condescending. If you think about it, someone who is “self” righteous puts his faith in himself, not God. But true righteousness means living according to God’s way.

So how do we achieve righteousness? Not just by believing in God, but by practicing those things that are pleasing to God. Putting our faith in action. Prayer (communication with God), worship (demonstrating love for God), and fasting (putting something aside to focus on God) are just the start of what we should practice. In our daily life, we can also practice patience, humility, kindness, and honesty. Let’s put our faith in action and live the righteous life to which we are called.

Let’s practice what is preached, so that we may attain righteousness!