Righteous, Baby!

The word "righteousness" is not popular word. Some people have done great things for righteousness sake, but others have acted out really horrible things for righteousness sake. Hamilton (The Journey, 2011) describes Joseph as a righteous man, but not in the way I might immediately think....

When Joseph first heard of Mary's condition, he intended to quietly leave her - this was considered righteous by a literal reading of the law. After Joseph heard a word from God regarding Mary and the baby she carried, he disobeyed the law and married her. "Joseph's righteousness led him to ignore the clear teaching of the law. What does this tell us about the New Testament definition of righteousness" (Hamilton, 2011)?

Open-mindedness to these ideas inspire me to avoid quick, judgmental attitudes towards those who think differently from me - in any direction. How might God be working? Might He be working in ways that are not immediately evident to me? Might He work in ways that I do not understand? Might He work in ways that I disagree with? Based on the Biblical account of Christ's birth, it is likely!

Another gift from Christmas '97 that I hold dear to my heart!