Walking with the Wise #457: Doing Right No Matter What

“Remove the impurities from silver,

and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
Remove the wicked from the king’s court,
and his reign will be made secure by justice.”
—Proverbs 25:4-5 (NLT)

Righteousness is doing that which is right or virtuous no matter who is involved. Being righteous means being as objective as you possibly can be, telling the truth, caring not for how you may benefit or be hurt by the decision, but making up your mind to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. As Abraham Lincoln once said,

“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.”

Standing for truth means not having to worry about conscience, never having to worry about lies told coming back to haunt you. Removing purities from silver strengthens and purifies it. No one wants impure silver, nor does anyone want a corrupt governmental system. If liars, thieves, and the unrighteous are removed from government positions, then the government is strengthened and known to stand for justice.

Our responsibility is to live a righteous life, and stand for the truth—no matter what the cost. Compromise is not an option. Stand for truth and everything else will fall into place. Try and cheat, steal, lie, slander, or misrepresent and God will make sure that all of the facts come out and that man will receive his due reward for everything he has done (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Live righteously, stand for truth, entrust yourself to God and He will be your defender and very great reward—Amen.