Doing Righteousness & Justice

In one of the earliest passages of the Old Testament, we are given insight into the call of God to Abraham to take the initiative in “doing righteousness and justice.” (See Genesis 18:19) God gave Abraham instruction to teach his children and household members to “do righteousness and justice” as the means for “keeping the way of the Lord” personally and in the context of God’s promise for the future that would be enabled by their obedience.
The attempts to “be great” in our world too often are associated with anything but
“doing righteousness and justice.” The characteristics required in these endeavors are to understand that honoring God with obedience and positive actions that please him opens the way for his continuing blessing. The verses in Genesis that follow also reflect God’s judgment as the consequence of self made choices in directions other than “the way of the Lord.”
God’s initiative in extending to each of us an opportunity for a relationship of faith is bound to accountability for acting upon what we know. As God has revealed his instruction to us, it is for our good, for our blessing, and for the blessing of future generations. It is not in our images of greatness or in our plans for the future that we find our hope, it is in the “way of the Lord” that brings abundant life and the fulfillment made possible by God’s grace and love.
God reveals in countless ways his righteousness and his call for justice. Extending to our neighbors and friends and family a witness of that justice is a reflection of our relationship with God. It is our daily opportunity for influencing our world. It is our testimony of commitment to “the way of the Lord.”
God desires that your life be blessed and a blessing to others. Trust him and follow in his way.