THE GEM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Dear One,
    Jesus was never against anyone except religious people who heaped condemnation and guilt upon others instead of relieving their burdens.  He taught against politicians who encouraged their followers to be divisive, lovers of conflict and contempt, robbing people of hope and faith by instilling fear in them.  Jesus lifted the burdens from the people whom the religious and political people heaped burdens upon.  He identified hypocrites as people who proclaim one thing but their actions show the opposite. Righteousness has little to do with religious and political rhetoric but has everything to do with attitudes which exemplify My character of love.
    In His lecture on attitudes Jesus said that My kingdom of heaven belongs to the people who are persecuted for righteousness sake, that means for their love, their joy, their peacemaking, their mercy, their goodness and their kindness towards others. (Matthew 5:10.)  I said that My kingdom consists of righteousness, peace and joy in My Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17-19) I said through James that pure and undefiled religion is to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep yourself spotless in the world.
    Righteousness has nothing to do with proclaiming your loyalty to Me but instead it has to do with living your loyalty to Me by doing what I lead you to do which is to be merciful, humble, kind, meek and mild, taking a back seat to others instead of insisting on your own selfishness as a person of importance.
    Righteousness is letting My true character, the fruit of My Spirit, be your true character.  The clusters of My fruit within you are displayed outwardly as love for everyone, having a joyful heart, keeping peace with everyone, doing good works toward others, being kind in attitude and words toward others, being merciful to lawbreakers and sinners, being patient with people who oppose you, being faithful to your families and to Me, being gentle with all people, having self control when confronted and for being persecuted for loving the unlovable.  The attitudes of righteousness are thoughts and actions of never seeking your own way, but always putting the needs of others ahead of yourself. (Galatians 5:22-26)
     I said that love is the epitome of righteousness and that if you don't have love for others that you will gain nothing. (I Corinthians 13)  Religious and political tenets mean nothing to Me.  Love means everything to Me. The fruits of righteousness in My children are the fruit of My Holy Spirit.  You are blessed when you display My character to the world.  If you are persecuted for being peacemakers in the world then My kingdom belongs to you.(Matthew 5:11)
     If you are persecuted for being the image of My love and goodness in the world, then you should rejoice because you are the salt of the earth and the light on a hill, you are My true image in a world of false images of Me. (Matthew 5:12-16)  It is My goodness that brings a person to repent and turn to Me. (Romans 2:4)  Display My goodness to the world whose image of Me is skewed by religion and politics.  People are hungry for the knowledge of My goodness and My love.
     When you display to people the fullness of My love, you are blessed in My family because righteousness has prevailed and identified you as My child.
      Your RIGHTEOUS AND LOVING FATHER