The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. The righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead. — Proverbs 11:3-8

Solomon is trying to convince us that there is immense value in righteousness. But the value is not in just acting righteous. It is in being identified as a righteous man. So if our identity is righteous, we should behave righteously and thus receive the benefits of this identity and its actions.

But often, before we discover the benefits of being and acting righteous, we have to discover the drawbacks of unrighteousness. I, just like you, have had to discover the destructiveness of being and acting unrighteous. And the ironic part of unrighteousness is that its identity and actions are self-destructive. Unrighteousness destroys itself every single time. So logic would suggest if we don't want to be destroyed by unrighteousness, then we have to get out of its way. But the only way to get out of its way is by changing our identity, not just our actions. We must become righteous men. We need a whole new identity. But we cannot achieve this by our own means. We need a righteous man to save us. And we are not that man. But there is one, and his name is Jesus. 

The New Testament author Paul said this way in 2 Corinthians 5:21:

For our sake he made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. — 2 Corinthians 5:21

So today, if you are ready to be righteous and live righteously, all you have to do is give your unrighteous life to God. Believe that Jesus's life, death, and resurrection are the sacrifice for your unrighteousness. And by faith, receive the new identity he freely gives to you — and become the righteousness of God. And then go live it out. Not your righteousness, but his, for all the world to see.

ASK THIS: Are you ready to receive his righteousness?

DO THIS: Write this below. "I [insert your name] give all of my unrighteousness to God and believe that Jesus is my righteousness so that I can be the righteousness of God."

PRAY THIS: God I leave all my sin behind. Make me the righteousness of God

PLAY THIS: CityAlight — Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me.

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