Proverbs 21:3

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. (NIV)

There are many benefits of righteousness, i.e., being right before God, but I wanted to focus on one benefit and one specific application.

When we’ve been wronged, our natural inclination is to “wrong them back”, to get back at the offender, to get revenge. More likely than not, this involves us doing something that goes against the laws, principles, and commands of God. As Christians, we sometimes try to “make up for it” by doing something good later or making some sacrifice. We justify in our minds that we “evened it up”:

“I did something bad (getting even), but I did something good to make up for it (gave a little extra offering that Sunday)”. We try to sugar-coat our sin.

But God tells us that to do what is right and just is more acceptable to Him. Everyday before you go to bed, you want to be able to raise your head and look at God and be able to tell Him, “Lord, I did right by You today to the best of my ability.”

Here is one of the rewards for righteousness: Proverbs 20:7

The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.