I LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Part 5

"God is in the generation of the righteous" (Psalm 14:5)

Will we walk righteous lives so that God will come and manifest Himself in our generation? Will we pay the price for God to come and show Himself mighty on our behalf?

Righteousness is associated with Truth

God is known as a God of truth and righteousness, and just as He is, so He wants us to be in this world. See Proverbs 12:17 and Zechariah 8:8. Just as righteousness and justice, and righteousness and peace are twins, so righteousness and truth are always coupled together. You can't have one without the other. Solomon testified that his father, David, walked before the Lord "in truth, and in righteousness" (1 Kings 6:3).

David reminds us in Psalm 15:1-2 that the only one who can abide in God's tabernacle is the one who "works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart."

Truth is not an external thing. It is something we must have in the depths of our hearts. More than speaking the truth, we must be truth. Unless we are committed to truth in the innermost part of our being, we can be tempted to compromise which is the opposite of standing for truth.  How easy it is to exaggerate, or to say something that is only half the truth in order to cover for ourselves. It is not easy to speak the truth when it exposes our mistakes and shortcomings, but if righteousness is part of our being, truth will be too.

If we want our children to walk in truth in their core being and not just on the surface, we will have to show them by example.

Righteousness is associated with the Word of God

Psalm 19:9 says, "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." See also Deuteronomy 4:8; Psalm 119:7, 106, 123, 138, 144, 160, 164, 172; Matthew 7:14-17; Hebrews 5:13; Revelation 16:7 and  9:2.

It is very easy to obey the Word of God when it suits us, isn't it? It's not so easy when we face persecution or even suffering for our obedience. Obedience to the Word of God is the opposite of giving in to situational ethics.

A young couple decided to have a vasectomy after their two children. Many years later they were convicted of cutting off their fertility and reversed the situation. They were now open to having children, but each time the wife conceived she miscarried. She then lost a precious baby son at birth. This was too much for them to bear. They were being obedient to God and His Word and yet experiencing nothing but heartache. How could they continue?

The husband came to us and confessed that they could not go on trusting God. He wept with us as he shared that he could not put his wife through this suffering any more. We lovingly and gently encouraged them in the Lord and to keep trusting their God who would never fail them. In great trepidation they decided to continue being obedient to the Word of God and to be open to more children if God should choose.

God did bless them with another conception and this time they rejoiced at the birth of a precious little girl after so many years. Their joy was unspeakable! Oh what they would have missed if they had stopped because the journey was too hard. But that wasn't the end. God continued to bless them and they are now the blessed and happy parents of five beautiful children since their reversal.

Deuteronomy 6:25 says, "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us."

Righteousness is associated with Prayer

Proverbs 15:29 says, "The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous." I certainly like this promise, don't you?

Of course we all know the wonderful promise in James 5:16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." See also Psalm 34:17 and Proverbs 10:24. Our righteousness falls short if we are not people of prayer. If we want the righteousness of God to fill our home, we need to fill our home with prayer. Families can accomplish mighty exploits for God as they pray together around their table. God hears the prayers of righteous parents and children. How many answers to prayer do families miss out on because they do not pray? What tremendous power is missing in the church because families do not pray! What would God do in our godless society if families prayed?

1 Peter 3:12 says, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers."

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh God, I pray that you will help me and all your people to pay the price in prayer for you to come and move in our generation.  Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am doing my part to bring God to this generation.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Part 4

"I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation" (Psalm 40:10).

David, the Psalmist reminds us that we must not hide righteousness in our heart. Righteousness is not static but an attribute that moves and flows through our being.  Let's look at more ways it works out in our lives.

Righteousness is associated with Thankfulness

Psalm 140:13 says, "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name." The spirit of righteousness exudes thankfulness. It is a spontaneous overflowing of praise to God, in the good times and in the bad. It also shows gratefulness to others. It is the opposite of grumbling and complaining.

Instead of grumbling about your circumstances, thank God that He is in control and will never leave you or forsake you. Instead of Instead of complaining about your husband, appreciate him. If he takes out the garbage, thank him. If he doesn't, praise the Lord anyway. If he helps you with the dishes, thank him. If he doesn't, be grateful for him anyway. Thank him for working hard to provide for you. Thank him for choosing you to be his wife. Thank your children when they help you. Forget thinking you are righteous if you have a complaining spirit.

Righteousness is associated with walking in Light

Psalm 37:6 says, "He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light." See also Psalm 37:6; Proverbs 13:9; Micah 7:9b; Matthew 5:14-16; 13:43; 2 Corinthians 3:18 and 4:6. When we walk in righteousness, we walk in the light. We are transparent before God and before one another. The woman who walks in righteousness in her home has an open face, shining the light of the glory of God before her family. The righteous woman is the opposite of the one who thinks she is "righteous" but looks as though she has been baptized in lemon juice instead!

Righteousness is associated with Persecution

We should not think we are out of the will of God because we are going through hard times. This is part of life. In fact, if we are not suffering because of our witness for Christ, we should check out whether we are really walking in righteousness. Righteousness is opposite to spirit of the world and we can expect reaction and persecution.

Psalm 34:17 and 19 say, "The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.... Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Don't despair; even in persecution, God is with you. Be encouraged by the following  wonderful promises:

Proverbs 11:8, "The righteous is delivered out of trouble."

Matthew 5:10, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

2 Timothy 2:12, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him."

1 Peter 3:14, "If ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye." If we suffer for our own stupid mistakes and wrong decisions we must bear the consequences, but if we suffer for righteousness, we can rejoice! See also 1 Peter 4:12-14. We won't be surprised because we understand that righteousness is associated with persecution.

Righteousness is associated with Posterity

God has promised that the children and grandchildren of the righteous will be blessed. Whether we walk in righteousness, or in unrighteousness will determine the outcome of our posterity. What a responsibility for parents. Our descendants will be affected by the decisions we make today. Read Psalm 37:25-26, 29; 103:17; 106:30-31 and Proverbs 11:21b.

God's plan is for us to build godly generations that will continue following the Lord. The opposite is happening in the church today with so many  Christian couples separating and divorcing. They are so concerned about their own pleasures and desires that they do not take time to think of their children and  grandchildren. Their selfish motives override the negative impact their decision will have on posterity. The course of their future generations will be changed forever.

Every Friday evening at our dinner table, Colin reads Proverbs 31 and then blesses and praises me. I then read Psalm 112 and bless him by acknowledging lovely things that I can share about him. It is such a wonderful tradition that blesses our marriage. Psalm 112:1-3 say, "Blessed is the man that fears the Lord, that delights greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house; and his righteousness endures forever." I often comment that our children and grandchildren are blessed because my husband walks in righteousness.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh Father, I don't want to hide your righteousness. I thank you that your righteousness is associated with joy and thankfulness. Save me from walking around looking as though I am baptized in lemon juice. Instead, please help me to walk in a spirit of gratefulness. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am walking in righteousness to bless my future descendants.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Part 3

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

Jesus commanded us to seek after righteousness because His kingdom is a righteous kingdom. Let's keep seeking to understand more of what it means to walk righteously.

Righteousness is associated with Boldness

Proverbs 28:1 says, "The righteous are bold as a lion." Don't you love that? Righteousness is the opposite of timidity and fear. If we are walking in righteousness we will not fear, but will be bold to proclaim God's truth and salvation. We will speak out like Peter and John did when they were commanded not to speak about Jesus, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:18-20).

We will be like the disciples who spoke boldly for the Lord, whether they were in the synagogue or in the market place. Check out the following Scriptures: Acts 4:13; 9:27, 29; 13:46; 19:8 and 18:26. We never have to apologize for speaking God's truths, even when it is counter-culture to society around us. We never have to be intimidated. God's truth is worth speaking boldly.

Righteousness is associated with Hating Evil

Psalm 45:7 RAV says, "You love righteousness and hate wickedness." If we are walking in righteousness, we will hate evil. We will hate evil like God hates it. We will not only hate it, but stand up against it and expose it. See also Ephesians 5:11; Psalm 40:9-10; 94:16 and Proverbs 13:5. It is the opposite of compromise. There is too much tolerance of evil today. It is amazing how we can begin to accept things in our humanistic society as if they were normal. When prayer was taken out of public schools, did God's people rise up, take action for righteousness and take their children out of the public school? No, we carried on as usual.

Recently, while having to sign some forms in Australia, I found no place to state my status as a wife. No place for Wife! No place for Husband! Only Partner! When a nation does not honor the sacred institution of marriage, the first institution that God set into being, it stands in a dangerous place. But somehow we get used to doing it Satan's way instead of God's way. Unless we speak out against evil, it becomes more and more entrenched in our way of life and accepted as normal.

The standards that are regarded as normal for Christians today were considered horrific when I was a child. If a husband committed adultery with another woman, he was looked upon as an outcast in our little town. And yet today, Christians accept this behavior without blinking an eye! Do we take a stand against abortion and homosexuality or do we accept it as part of our culture? Do we really hate evil like God hates it?

Righteousness is associated with Justice

Psalm 97:2 says, "Righteousness and justice are the habitation of his throne." See also Psalm 33:5; Jeremiah 23:5 and  33:15.Justice is "the use of authority to uphold what is right. It is acting as a judge and rendering the proper verdict-God's verdict." So often we judge according to our own verdict instead of God's verdict. But if we walk in righteousness we will have true discernment. It is the opposite of situational ethics where we decide on a matter according to our circumstances and how it suits us at the time. True justice makes a decision according to God's Word, even when it doesn't fit in with our lifestyle.

Righteousness and justice are twins. They are constantly coupled together. Just as righteousness and justice are part of God's character, He wants them to also be part of our character. That's why He commands us in Jeremiah 22:3 NASB, "Thus says the Lord, ‘Do justice and righteousness."

Psalm 106:3 NASB says, "How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!"

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh God my Father, I pray for righteousness to return to this land. Pour down righteousness upon the earth. Give me the courage to stand up against evil and to hate evil the same way you hate evil. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I will not keep silent in the face of evil.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Part 2

"Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people," Psalm 14:34

A nation is made up of families. Therefore, the only way we can have a righteous nation is if we establish righteous families, which are made up of righteous individuals. May God help us to be righteous couples who are committed to raising righteous families. There is no other plan for a righteous nation. It comes back to families.

The Psalmist cried out in Psalm 11:3, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" There is only one thing we can do, and that is to build them again. The first institution God ordained was marriage and family-before church and before government. We cannot look to government. We cannot look to the organized church. We must come back to establishing righteous marriages and raising godly families.

What does it mean to be a righteous family?

Righteousness is associated with Life

Proverbs 12:28 says, "In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death." See also Proverbs 11:19 and 21:21.

Romans 8:1-11 says, "If Christ be in you... the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you." See also 1 Peter 2:24.

Jesus Christ came to give us life; more than that, He came to give us "abundant life" John 10:10. The word "abundant" in the Greek is perissos and means "exceedingly, above the greatest abundance, superabundantly, over and above." This is the righteous life of Jesus that dwells in is. This abundant life is the opposite of boring. It is the opposite of being religious. It is the opposite of living according to regulations and laws imposed by men regarding dress codes and so on.

This kind of righteousness is creative living. It is life-pulsating and life-impacting. It is life-speaking. Every time we open our mouth we will speak words of life that feed and nourish our husband and children. Proverbs 10:11 says,  "The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life." See also Proverbs 10:21. This is the kind of life God wants us to enjoy with our families.

We will be a "tree of life," giving sustenance, shade, shelter and hope to all we meet. A tree is not stagnant, but life-giving. See Proverbs 11:30 and Isaiah 61:3.

Righteousness is associated with Fruitfulness

Isaiah 32:16 says, "Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field." Righteousness is the opposite of unfruitfulness. God who is a righteous God loves fruitfulness. He associates himself with fruitfulness. Psalm 107:42-43 tells us that when God makes families "like a flock," the righteous rejoice! They are glad and praise the Lord when more children are born. Did you notice that it is God who makes families like a flock? It is not man's doing, but God's.

If we choose barrenness rather than fruitfulness, can we say that we walk in righteousness? Check out Psalm 128:3.

Righteousness will produce fruit in every aspect of our lives. Philippians 1:11 says, "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." See also Proverbs 12:12 and 2 Corinthians 9:10b.

Righteousness is associated with Wisdom

Psalm 37:30 says, "The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom." This is the opposite of foolish talking and jesting. We are prone to a lot of foolish talking, aren't we? But when righteousness fills our hearts, it will come out of our mouths. Righteousness is not stagnant. It is an attribute that lives and breathes, acts and speaks. See Proverbs 10:32 and 15:28.

1 Corinthians 1:30 says, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." Christ in us is righteousness. Christ in us is wisdom who enables us to speak words of wisdom. Because Christ is in us, we should have the same testimony of Jesus of whom they "wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth" (Luke 4:22). They also exclaimed, "No man ever spoke like this man" (John 7:46 RAV).

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Dear loving Father, I want to walk in righteousness. Thank you for showing me that your righteousness is life and fruitfulness. Anoint my head with oil to walk in life instead of legality. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am helping to build a righteous nation as I build a righteous marriage and family.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read throughout the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.