Righteousness: Living Right with God — Walking in WITH-ness
“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” — Isaiah 32:17
An Invitation to Be With God
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to be right with God.
Not just right before Him — as if He’s standing across the courtroom — but right with Him.
That word, with, has been stirring in me. I’m realizing that righteousness isn’t a performance. It’s a posture. It’s WITH-edness — a life lived alongside God, not just for Him.
When I’m with Him, I sense His love more deeply. I notice His nudges — small indicators that my heart is in alignment with His. It’s less about checking boxes and more about hearing His heartbeat.
And honestly, that’s what I long for.
To live in such close friendship with Jesus that my daily life becomes evidence of that relationship — how I lead, rest, forgive, and love.
So much of righteousness begins not with effort, but with gratitude.
Gratitude is the great realignment of the soul. It reminds me:
You are God, and I am not.
When I start from there, humility flows.
When I start with gratitude, I stop pretending to be in control.
When I remember who He is, I remember who I’m not — and that’s when peace begins to rise again.
This journey of righteousness — this invitation to walk with God — unfolds across five daily realities that I’m learning to pay attention to: humility, time, temple, listening, and relationships.
Each one reveals how “right” I am standing with Him, not in judgment, but in alignment.
1. Right with Humility — The Posture of Righteousness
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” — Micah 6:8
Humility is the foundation of righteousness. It’s the first step toward living “right” with God because it starts by bowing low before the One who is higher than all.
It’s scary how easily I can slip into thinking I’m “doing pretty well” — that I’ve got things under control, that I’m leading effectively, giving generously, checking all the boxes of faith.
And then I remember: I follow the Creator of all — the Maker of heaven and earth and me.
That realization breaks my pride and builds my peace.
Humility is not self-deprecation; it’s self-awareness in light of God’s greatness.
It’s knowing that every good thing I have — my company, my family, my breath — is a gift.
Righteousness starts here: You are God, and I am not.
When I walk humbly with God, I notice more. I listen better. I lead with gentleness instead of striving. My conversations soften. My ambition steadies.
And maybe most importantly — humility makes room for God to work.
As Peter said, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
Grace flows downhill. The lower I go, the freer I become.
So I start each day with gratitude and humility — remembering who God is, who I am, and who I am not. That’s where righteousness begins.
2. Right with Time — Redeeming What I’ve Been Given
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” — Ephesians 5:15-16
After humility, righteousness shows up in how I treat time.
Time is holy ground.
It’s the one resource every man receives in equal measure — and the one we can’t replace once it’s gone.
God isn’t bound by time, but I am. And in His wisdom, He gives me just enough of it to learn how to trust Him, follow Him, and reflect Him.
When I’m right with God, I start to handle time differently.
I stop rushing. I start noticing.
I begin to see time not as an enemy to manage but as a gift to steward.
Being right with time doesn’t mean packing my calendar; it means aligning it. It’s choosing what’s eternal over what’s urgent. It’s saying no to hurry so I can say yes to presence.
In business, that looks like pausing to pray before a meeting.
At home, it’s being present at dinner instead of distracted.
In my spirit, it’s trusting that God’s timing is always perfect — even when mine isn’t.
Every day becomes an opportunity to ask:
“Am I spending time on what will outlive me?”
Righteousness with time means I redeem it — I use it to build, bless, and bring life. Because time well spent on God’s purposes always returns peace.
3. Right with the Temple — Honoring What He Owns
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit… You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Another indicator of being right with God is how I treat the temple He’s entrusted to me — this body, mind, and soul that He calls His home.
I’ll admit, I often forget that my health, my energy, even my sleep, are spiritual matters. But righteousness isn’t just about what I believe — it’s about how I live.
God designed my body to be the vehicle for His presence. And how I eat, rest, drink, and move all reflect whether I’m in step with Him.
Eat. What I consume fuels more than my body — it affects my clarity, my patience, my worship. I’m learning that mindful eating can be an act of gratitude, a quiet way of saying, “Thank You, Lord, for daily bread.”
Rest. Rest is faith in action. When I sleep, I declare that the world can spin without me. Sabbath reminds me that I’m a son, not a machine.
Drink. Jesus called Himself the Living Water. Staying hydrated physically and spiritually means constantly coming back to the Source — drinking deeply from the Word, from prayer, from stillness.
Move. Movement is worship. When I walk, stretch, or work with my hands, I’m using what He gave me. Stewarding my strength honors the One who supplies it.
When I’m right with my temple, I feel it — not just in my energy, but in my peace.
My body becomes an altar where gratitude, stewardship, and worship all meet.
4. Right with Listening — Hearing God, Others, and Myself
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” — James 1:19
Of all the ways God measures righteousness, listening may be the most underrated.
Listening is an act of love. It’s how we honor others, discern God’s voice, and quiet our own noise.
For me, listening has become a spiritual discipline — a daily reminder that righteousness isn’t about being right but about being responsive.
There are three layers of listening that help me stay right with God:
Listening to God.
This begins in Scripture and silence. The more I slow down, the clearer His voice becomes. Sometimes He speaks through His Word; other times through a whisper in my spirit or the counsel of a brother in Christ.
Listening to Others.
Righteousness shows up in relationships when I choose to hear people instead of fix them. When I stop forming my next argument and start hearing their heart. That kind of listening disarms conflict and builds trust.
Listening to Myself.
This one takes courage. There are times I need to hear what’s really happening inside — the fatigue, the anxiety, the pride, the gratitude. When I bring those inner voices before God, He sorts them.
Listening is supernatural because it invites the Holy Spirit into every conversation.
The more I listen, the more I align. And the more I align, the more righteousness becomes my rhythm, not my effort.
5. Right with Relationships — Grace in Motion
“If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” — Romans 12:18
Finally, righteousness always reveals itself in relationships.
The vertical connection with God always flows horizontally into how I treat people.
Right relationships are not perfect relationships; they’re redemptive ones. They’re filled with care, compassion, rupture, and repair — the ongoing exchange of grace given and received.
When I’m walking right with God, grace becomes my default posture.
I forgive faster. I apologize sooner. I love wider.
At home, it means seeing my wife as a partner in purpose, not competition.
With my kids, it means shepherding their hearts, not just shaping their behavior.
At work, it means leading with integrity and patience, even when results lag.
Righteous relationships create a ripple effect. The peace I have with God begins to overflow into peace with people — my team, my family, my community.
This is the heart of being a Marketplace Ambassador — not just believing in Jesus but representing His heart in every relationship.
WITH-edness: The Heartbeat of Righteousness
As I’ve walked this journey, one truth keeps echoing: righteousness is not a solo project. It’s a shared life.
The Christian life isn’t about performing for God but walking with Him.
And when I live with Him — moment by moment — He gives me quiet indicators that I’m standing right: peace in my spirit, gratitude in my heart, gentleness in my words, clarity in my purpose.
Every time I drift, He gently realigns me.
Righteousness isn’t perfection; it’s participation.
It’s the daily decision to stay with the One who makes me whole.
And as I walk with Him, He keeps shaping me into the man He designed — humble, wise, healthy, attentive, and loving.
That’s the promise of righteousness — not striving harder, but living freer.
Living It Out Together
Each week this month, we’ll take one of these five pillars and explore it together — humility, time, temple, listening, and relationships.
We’ll share stories, Scripture, and insights from men walking the same path — learning how righteousness isn’t something we chase, but something we cultivate through WITH-ness.
You’re invited to join us — at your local C3 group, a Faith@Work Zoom, or a Trusted Advisor Forum — as we practice living right with God and right with one another.
Reflection Questions
Where is God inviting you to humility — to remember, “You are God, and I am not”?
How does your calendar reflect what matters most to God?
What’s one way you can honor God’s temple in your body this week?
Where is God asking you to listen before leading or speaking?
What relationship in your life could become more “right” through grace, forgiveness, or reconnection?
A Closing Prayer
Father, thank You that righteousness is not a reward for perfection but a relationship of presence. Thank You for inviting me into WITH-ness — to walk humbly, to steward time well, to care for this body, to listen deeply, and to love generously. Realign my heart each day toward You. Let gratitude guide me, humility ground me, and Your Spirit lead me. May my life reflect Your peace and Your joy in every place You send me — in my work, my home, and my relationships. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Final Thought
Men, righteousness isn’t about being flawless — it’s about being faithful.
It’s waking up each morning and saying, “God, I want to walk with You today.”
When we do that — when we live with Him — everything else begins to align: our time, our health, our listening, and our relationships.
That’s the life of a righteous man — humble, grateful, and at peace.
That’s the life God is inviting you into right now.