Love Righteousness With All Your Heart

“You have loved righteousness.”​—PS. 45:7.

1. What will help us to follow “the tracks of righteousness”?

BY MEANS OF his Word and his holy spirit, Jehovah is leading his people in “the tracks of righteousness.” (Ps. 23:3) Since we are imperfect, however, we tend to deviate from that path. To return to doing what is right calls for determined effort. What will help us to succeed? Like Jesus, we must love doing what is right.​—Read Psalm 45:7.

2. What are “the tracks of righteousness”?

² What are “the tracks of righteousness”? A track is a narrow footpath or trail. These “tracks” are determined by Jehovah’s standard of righteousness. In Hebrew and Greek, “righteousness” refers to that which is “upright,” implying a strict adherence to moral principles. Since Jehovah is “the abiding place of righteousness,” his worshippers are happy to look to him to determine the morally upright path that they should follow.​—Jer. 50:7.

3. How can we learn more about God’s righteousness?

³ Only by striving with all our heart to conform to God’s righteous standards will we be found fully pleasing to him. (Deut. 32:4) That begins with learning all we can about Jehovah God from his Word, the Bible. The more we learn about him, drawing closer to him every day, the more we will love his righteousness. (Jas. 4:8) We must also accept the guidance of God’s inspired Word when we are called upon to make important decisions in life.

Seek God’s Righteousness

4. What is involved in seeking God’s righteousness?

⁴ Read Matthew 6:33. Seeking God’s righteousness involves more than our spending time preaching the good news of the Kingdom. For our sacred service to be acceptable to Jehovah, our everyday conduct must harmonize with his high standards. What has to be done by all who are seeking Jehovah’s righteousness? They must “put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.”​—Eph. 4:24.

5. What will help us to overcome discouragement?

⁵ As we strive to live up to God’s righteous standards, we may sometimes become discouraged because of our shortcomings. What can help us to overcome debilitating discouragement and learn to love and practice righteousness? (Prov. 24:10) We must regularly approach Jehovah in prayer “with true hearts in the full assurance of faith.” (Heb. 10:19-22) Whether we are anointed Christians or we have an earthly hope, we exercise faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ and in his services as our great High Priest. (Rom. 5:8; Heb. 4:14-16) The effectiveness of Jesus’ shed blood was illustrated in the very first issue of this magazine. (1 John 1:6, 7) The article stated: “It is a singular fact, that [when] a scarlet or crimson object [is] viewed through a red glass in the light, the object appears white; so, though our sins be as scarlet or crimson, when we come where God will view them through the blood of Christ, they are accounted as white.” (July 1879, p. 6) What a marvelous provision Jehovah has made for us through the ransom sacrifice of his dear Son!​—Isa. 1:18.

Check Your Spiritual Armor

6. Why is it crucial that we check our spiritual armor?

⁶ At all times, we need to have on “the breastplate of righteousness,” for it is an essential part of the spiritual armor from God. (Eph. 6:11, 14) Whether we have recently dedicated ourselves to Jehovah or we already have decades of sacred service behind us, it is crucial that we check our spiritual armor every day. Why? Because the Devil and his demons have been cast down to the vicinity of the earth. (Rev. 12:7-12) Satan is angry, and he knows that his time is limited. Thus, he has intensified his attacks on God’s people. Do we appreciate the importance of having on “the breastplate of righteousness”?

7. How will we conduct ourselves if we appreciate our need for “the breastplate of righteousness”?

⁷ A breastplate protects the physical heart. Because of our imperfect nature, our figurative heart tends to be treacherous and desperate. (Jer. 17:9) Since our heart is inclined to do what is wrong, it is vital that it be trained and disciplined. (Gen. 8:21) If we appreciate our need for “the breastplate of righteousness,” we will not temporarily remove it by choosing to be entertained by what God hates; nor will we allow ourselves to fantasize about engaging in wrongdoing. We will not squander large amounts of valuable time viewing television. Instead, we will keep struggling to do what is pleasing to Jehovah. Even if we were to stumble by momentarily giving in to unrighteous fleshly thinking, we would get up again with Jehovah’s help.​—Read Proverbs 24:16.

8. Why do we need “the large shield of faith”?

⁸ Among the parts of our spiritual armor is “the large shield of faith.” It enables us to “quench all the wicked one’s burning missiles.” (Eph. 6:16) In turn, faith and wholehearted love for Jehovah help us to practice righteousness and remain on the road to everlasting life. The more we learn to love Jehovah, the more we will value his righteousness. But what about our conscience? How does it help us in our efforts to love righteousness?

Maintain a Good Conscience

9. How do we benefit from maintaining a good conscience?

⁹ At our baptism, we made a request to Jehovah for “a good conscience.” (1 Pet. 3:21) Because we exercise faith in the ransom, the blood of Jesus covers our sins and we thus enjoy a clean standing before God. To remain in a saved condition, however, we need to maintain a good conscience. If our conscience at times accuses us and sounds warnings, we should be grateful that it is working properly. Such proddings indicate that our conscience has not become seared with respect to Jehovah’s righteous ways. (1 Tim. 4:2) But the conscience can play an additional role for those wanting to love righteousness.

10, 11. (a) Relate an experience that shows why we should heed our Bible-trained conscience. (b) Why can a love of righteousness bring us great pleasure?

¹⁰ When we do what is wrong, our conscience may condemn or torment us. One youth strayed from “the tracks of righteousness.” He became addicted to pornography and started smoking marijuana. He felt guilty when he went to the meetings and felt like a hypocrite when he shared in the field service, so he stopped participating in these Christian activities. “But,” he stated, “little did I know that my conscience would hold me accountable for my actions.” He added, “My stupidity lasted for about four years.” Then he started to think about returning to the truth. Although he thought that Jehovah would not listen to his prayer, he prayed anyway and asked for forgiveness. Less than ten minutes later, his mother visited him and encouraged him to return to the meetings. He went to the Kingdom Hall and asked an elder to study with him. In time, he was baptized, and he is thankful to Jehovah for saving his life.

¹¹ Have we not found that great pleasure can be derived from doing what is right? As we learn to love righteousness and practice it more fully, we will find more joy in doing what pleases our heavenly Father. And just think! The day is coming when all humans will experience only feelings of pleasure from their conscience; they will perfectly reflect God’s image. Let us, therefore, now implant a love of righteousness deep in our heart and cause Jehovah to rejoice.​—Prov. 23:15, 16.

12, 13. How can we train our conscience?

¹² What can we do to train our conscience? When we study the Scriptures and our Bible-based publications, it is important to remember that “the heart of the righteous one meditates so as to answer.” (Prov. 15:28) Consider how this proves beneficial when we face questions regarding employment. If a certain type of work is plainly in conflict with Scriptural requirements, most of us quickly respond to the direction provided through the faithful and discreet slave class. When the answer to an employment question is not clear-cut, however, Bible principles should be noted and considered prayerfully.a This applies to such principles as the need to avoid offending the consciences of others. (1 Cor. 10:31-33) Especially should we be concerned with principles involving our relationship with God. If Jehovah is real to us, we will primarily ask ourselves, ‘Would my doing this work make Jehovah feel hurt, causing him pain?’​—Ps. 78:40, 41.

¹³ When preparing for the Watchtower Study or the Congregation Bible Study, we ought to bear in mind the need to meditate on the information presented. Do we find ourselves always quickly underlining the answer to a study question and moving on to the next paragraph? Such study sessions are unlikely to deepen our love for righteousness or to develop within us a sensitive conscience. If we are to come to love righteousness, we need to study diligently and meditate on what we read in God’s written Word. There are no shortcuts when it comes to learning to love righteousness with all our heart!

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

14. How do Jehovah God and Jesus Christ want us to feel about our sacred service?

¹⁴ Jehovah God and Jesus Christ want us to be happy as we perform our sacred service. What will contribute to our happiness? Why, a love of righteousness! In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated: “Happy are those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, since they will be filled.” (Matt. 5:6) What significance do these words have for those who have a desire to love righteousness?

15, 16. In what ways can spiritual hunger and thirst be satisfied?

¹⁵ The world we live in is ruled by the wicked one. (1 John 5:19) If we pick up a newspaper in any country, we find reports of cruelty and violence on an unprecedented scale. Man’s inhumanity to man is troubling for a righteous person to contemplate. (Eccl. 8:9) As those who love Jehovah, we know that only he can satisfy the spiritual hunger and thirst of individuals desiring to learn righteousness. The ungodly will soon be removed, and lovers of righteousness will no longer experience the distress caused by law-defying people and their evil deeds. (2 Pet. 2:7, 8) What a relief that will be!

¹⁶ As Jehovah’s servants and followers of Jesus Christ, we realize that all those hungering and thirsting for righteousness “will be filled.” They will be fully satisfied through God’s arrangement of the new heavens and the new earth in which “righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Pet. 3:13) So let us not lose heart or be amazed that oppression and violence have taken away righteousness in this satanic world. (Eccl. 5:8) Jehovah, the Most High, knows what is taking place and will soon deliver lovers of righteousness.

Benefit From Loving Righteousness

17. What are some of the benefits that come from loving righteousness?

¹⁷ Psalm 146:8 emphasizes an outstanding benefit of following the path of righteousness. The psalmist sang: “Jehovah is loving the righteous ones.” Just imagine! The Sovereign of the universe loves us for loving righteousness! Because of Jehovah’s love, we are confident that he will provide for us as we keep Kingdom interests first in our life. (Read Psalm 37:25; Proverbs 10:3.) Eventually, this entire planet will be enjoyed by lovers of righteousness. (Prov. 13:22) For most of God’s people, the reward for having practiced righteousness will be overwhelming joy and life without end in a beautiful earthly paradise. Even now, those who love God’s righteousness are rewarded with an inner peace that contributes to harmony in their families and in their congregations.​—Phil. 4:6, 7.

18. What positive things can we do as we await Jehovah’s day?

¹⁸ As we await the arrival of the great day of Jehovah, we must continue to seek his righteousness. (Zeph. 2:2, 3) Let us, therefore, manifest a genuine love for Jehovah God’s upright ways. That includes keeping “the breastplate of righteousness” firmly in place to protect our figurative heart. We also need to maintain a good conscience​—one that will bring pleasure to us and cause the heart of our God to rejoice.​—Prov. 27:11.

19. What should we be determined to do, and what will be discussed in the next article?

¹⁹ Jehovah’s “eyes are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him.” (2 Chron. 16:9) How comforting those words are to us as we do what is right in the face of increasing instability, violence, and wickedness in this troubled world! True, our righteous ways may be puzzling to the masses of mankind alienated from God. But we benefit ourselves greatly by adhering to Jehovah’s righteousness. (Isa. 48:17; 1 Pet. 4:4) So, then, with a complete heart, let us be determined to continue finding enjoyment in loving and practicing righteousness with all our heart. However, having a complete heart also includes hating lawlessness. The following article will show us what this means.

Do You Hate Lawlessness?

“You [Jesus] hated lawlessness.”​—HEB. 1:9.

1. What did Jesus teach regarding love?

STRESSING the importance of love, Jesus Christ told his disciples: “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:34, 35) Jesus commanded his followers to show self-sacrificing love toward one another. That love would be their identifying mark. Jesus also exhorted them: “Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you.”​—Matt. 5:44.

2. Followers of Christ should develop a hatred for what?

² In addition to teaching his disciples about love, however, Jesus taught them what to hate. It was said with reference to Jesus: “You loved righteousness, and you hated lawlessness [wickedness].” (Heb. 1:9; Ps. 45:7) This shows that we must develop not only a love of righteousness but also a hatred of sin, or lawlessness. It is noteworthy that the apostle John specifically stated: “Everyone who practices sin is also practicing lawlessness, and so sin is lawlessness.”​—1 John 3:4.

3. With regard to hatred for lawlessness, what areas of life will this article consider?

³ As Christians, then, we do well to ask ourselves, ‘Do I hate lawlessness?’ Let us examine how we can show our hatred for what is bad in the following four areas of life: (1) our attitude toward the abuse of alcohol, (2) our view of the occult, (3) our reaction to immorality, and (4) our view of those who love lawlessness.

Keep Alcohol in Its Place

4. Why did Jesus enjoy freeness of speech when warning about heavy drinking?

⁴ Jesus occasionally drank wine, recognizing it as a gift from God. (Ps. 104:14, 15) However, he never abused this gift by indulging in heavy drinking. (Prov. 23:29-33) Jesus thus had freeness of speech when counseling against such a practice. (Read Luke 21:34.) Misuse of alcohol can lead to other serious sins. Thus, the apostle Paul wrote: “Do not be getting drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but keep getting filled with spirit.”(Eph. 5:18) He also admonished the aged women in the congregation not to be “enslaved to a lot of wine.”​—Titus 2:3.

5. What questions might those who choose to drink alcoholic beverages ask themselves?

⁵ If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages, you would also do well to ask yourself: ‘Do I share Jesus’ attitude toward heavy drinking? If I need to counsel others on this matter, do I have freeness of speech? Do I drink to escape worries or to ease stress? How much alcohol do I consume each week? How do I react when someone implies that I might be drinking too much? Do I become defensive or even resentful?’ Allowing ourselves to become enslaved to a lot of wine can affect our ability to reason things out properly and to make wise decisions. Followers of Christ strive to safeguard their thinking ability.​—Prov. 3:21, 22.

Avoid Occult Practices

6, 7. (a) How did Jesus deal with Satan and the demons? (b) Why are occult practices so widespread today?

⁶ While on earth, Jesus firmly opposed Satan and the demons. He rejected Satan’s direct attacks on his loyalty. (Luke 4:1-13) He also identified and resisted subtle attempts to influence his thinking and actions. (Matt. 16:21-23) Jesus helped deserving ones to escape cruel domination by the demons.​—Mark 5:2, 8, 12-15; 9:20, 25-27.

⁷ After Jesus’ enthronement as King in 1914, he cleansed the heavens of the contaminating influence of Satan and the demons. As a result, Satan is​—now more than ever—​bent on “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Rev. 12:9, 10) It should come as no surprise to us, then, that fascination with the occult is widespread and is growing. What measures can we take to protect ourselves?

8. What self-examination may be in order concerning our choice of entertainment?

⁸ The Bible clearly warns of the dangers connected with spiritism. (Read Deuteronomy 18:10-12.) Today, Satan and the demons influence people’s thinking through movies, books, and electronic games that promote occult practices. When selecting entertainment, therefore, each of us should ask himself: ‘Over the past months, have I chosen to be entertained by films, TV programs, electronic games, books, or comics that feature uncanny practices? Do I understand the importance of rejecting occult influences, or do I downplay these dangers? Have I even considered how Jehovah might feel about my choice of entertainment? If I have opened the door to such satanic influences, will my love for Jehovah and his righteous principles impel me to act decisively and slam that door shut?’​—Acts 19:19, 20.

Heed Jesus’ Warning About Immorality

9. How might a person nurture the love of lawlessness?

⁹ Jesus upheld Jehovah’s standard of sexual morality. He said: “Did you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.” (Matt. 19:4-6) Jesus knew that what we take in through our eyes can affect our heart. In his Sermon on the Mount, he therefore stated: “You heard that it was said, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone that keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:27, 28) Those who ignore Jesus’ warning are in reality nurturing the love of lawlessness.

10. Relate an experience showing that an individual can break free from pornography.

¹⁰ Satan promotes sexual immorality by means of pornography. The present system of things is awash with it. Those who view pornography find it difficult to erase the immoral scenes from their minds. They can even become addicted to pornography. Consider what happened to one Christian. He says: “I secretly viewed pornography. I created a fantasy world that I thought was disconnected from the world where I served Jehovah. I knew that this practice was wrong but told myself that my service to God was still acceptable.” What changed this brother’s thinking? He states: “Although it was the most difficult thing I have ever done, I decided to tell the elders about my problem.” This brother eventually broke free from this degrading habit. “After I cleansed my life of this sin,” he admits, “I finally felt that I had a truly clean conscience.” Those who hate lawlessness must learn to hate pornography.

11, 12. How can we show hatred for lawlessness when it comes to our choice of music?

¹¹ Music and its accompanying lyrics can strongly influence our emotions and, therefore, our figurative heart. Music itself is a gift from God and has long held a place in true worship. (Ex. 15:20, 21; Eph. 5:19) But Satan’s wicked world promotes music that glorifies immorality. (1 John 5:19) How can you tell whether the music you listen to is defiling you or not?

¹² You might start by asking yourself: ‘Do the songs I listen to glorify murder, adultery, fornication, and blasphemy? If I were to read the lyrics of certain songs to someone, would that person get the impression that I hate lawlessness, or would the words indicate that my heart is defiled?’ We cannot hate lawlessness in word while glorifying it in song. “The things proceeding out of the mouth come out of the heart,” said Jesus, “and those things defile a man. For example, out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries, false testimonies, blasphemies.”​—Matt. 15:18, 19; compare James 3:10, 11.

Adopt Jesus’ View of Those Who Love Lawlessness

13. How did Jesus view those who became hardened in sin?

¹³ Jesus said that he came to call sinners, or lawless ones, to repentance. (Luke 5:30-32) How, though, did he view those who became hardened in a course of sin? Jesus gave strong warnings against being influenced by such ones. (Matt. 23:15, 23-26) He also clearly stated: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day [when God executes judgment], ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’” However, he will reject those who unrepentantly practice lawlessness, saying: “Get away from me.” (Matt. 7:21-23) Why such a judgment? Because such individuals dishonor God and cause harm to others by their lawless practices.

14. Why are unrepentant sinners removed from the congregation?

¹⁴ God’s Word commands that unrepentant sinners be removed from the congregation. (Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.) This is necessary for at least three reasons: (1) to keep Jehovah’s name free from reproach, (2) to protect the congregation from contamination, and (3) to help the sinner come to repentance if possible.

15. Loyalty to Jehovah calls for an answer to what searching questions?

¹⁵ Do we share Jesus’ view of those who have become set in their lawless course? We need to give thought to these questions: ‘Would I choose to associate regularly with someone who has been disfellowshipped or who has disassociated himself from the Christian congregation? What if that one is a close relative who no longer lives at home?’ Such a situation can be a real test of our love of righteousness and of our loyalty to God.a

16, 17. What difficulty did a Christian mother face, and what helped her to uphold the arrangement for disfellowshipping unrepentant wrongdoers?

¹⁶ Consider the experience of a sister whose adult son at one time had love for Jehovah. Later in life, however, he unrepentantly chose to practice lawlessness. Hence, he was disfellowshipped from the congregation. Our sister loved Jehovah, but she also loved her son and found it extremely difficult to apply the Scriptural command to avoid associating with him.

¹⁷ What advice would you have given this sister? An elder helped her to realize that Jehovah understood the pain she felt. The brother invited her to think about the pain Jehovah must have experienced when some of his angelic sons rebelled. The elder reasoned with her that even though Jehovah knows how painful such a circumstance can be, he requires that unrepentant sinners be disfellowshipped. She took the reminders to heart and loyally upheld the disfellowshipping arrangement.b Such loyalty makes Jehovah’s heart glad.​—Prov. 27:11.

18, 19. (a) Cutting off contact with a practicer of lawlessness gives evidence of our hatred for what? (b) What may result when we are loyal to God and his arrangement?

¹⁸ If you face a similar situation, please remember that Jehovah sympathizes with you. By cutting off contact with the disfellowshipped or disassociated one, you are showing that you hate the attitudes and actions that led to that outcome. However, you are also showing that you love the wrongdoer enough to do what is best for him or her. Your loyalty to Jehovah may increase the likelihood that the disciplined one will repent and return to Jehovah.

¹⁹ One individual who was disfellowshipped and was later reinstated wrote: “I am happy that Jehovah loves his people enough to see that his organization is kept clean. What may seem harsh to outsiders is both necessary and really a loving thing to do.” Do you think that this person would have been helped to come to such a conclusion had members of the congregation, including her family, maintained regular contact with her while she was disfellowshipped? Our supporting the Scriptural arrangement of disfellowshipping gives evidence that we love righteousness and recognize Jehovah’s right to set standards of conduct.

“Hate What Is Bad”

20, 21. Why is it important to learn to hate lawlessness?

²⁰ “Keep your senses, be watchful,” warns the apostle Peter. Why? Because “your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.” (1 Pet. 5:8) Will that someone be you? Much depends on how well you learn to hate lawlessness.

²¹ Developing a hatred for what is bad is not easy. We are born in sin, and we live in a world that caters to fleshly desires. (1 John 2:15-17) By imitating Jesus Christ and developing deep love for Jehovah God, however, we can succeed in cultivating hatred for lawlessness. Let us be determined to “hate what is bad,” fully confident that Jehovah “is guarding . . . his loyal ones; out of the hand of the wicked ones he delivers them.”​—Ps. 97:10.