Generally, we are encouraged to do the right things. This is very important for us to be the kind of people that God wants us to be. There are some times however, when doing the right thing is not just enough. Sometimes it could be because they must also be done the right way. At other times, it could be because right things are at variance with true righteousness.

The concept of ‘right’ is more about the norms and culture of a people. Each group has what is acceptable to them. There are cultures in some parts of the world where they offer their daughters for immoral acts as a way of welcoming visitors. It is generally acceptable to them and for these people anyone who does this has given you the best that he can offer. While to them this is right, it is not righteousness.
There are religions of the world where killing your fellow human being is permitted and probably even encouraged if it is in the name of religion. Well, this may be ‘right’ but sure even our consciences tells us that it is not righteousness.

In our days, things are changing fast. What used to be wrong is now right. When gay marriages are now ‘right’, when abortion is legalized, when it is now wrong to pray in public and putting of·the laws of God in open places where they can disturb the consciences of evil men is forbidden, you can be sure that doing the right things (in the eyes of the society) cannot be enough to please God.

For Daniel, it could have been right to obey the king (after all, we are commanded to obey those that rule us) and not pray to God for 30 days but he chose righteousness over doing right (Daniel 6:1-13). For his three friends, it could have been right to bow down to the graven image (since it was the law of the land where they were living), but they chose righteousness far above just doing right things (Daniel 3:1-30). Peter and the others decided for righteousness - ‘…we ought to obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29).
What will be your own decision when it is time to choose between just doing the right things and choosing righteousness? Can you also say, ‘I ought to obey God rather than men’? This will be difficult with those that serve God with their heads and not with their hearts. The old way is still the correct way.

The question then is, at what point does doing RIGHT meet with RIGHTEOUSNESS? It is when the principle behind ‘RIGHT’ agrees with the principle of God. As long as they are at loggerheads, RIGHT cannot be RIGHTEOUSNESS. Have you ever boasted in just doing the right things? Don’t sit down at this level because you run the risk of coming short of the righteousness of God. It is encouraged to do right things as long as they do not negate the principles of righteousness.

The good thing about righteousness is that it is higher than just doing the right things. If you stay with righteousness, you can be sure you will always do the right things. This is because true righteousness stems from the laws of God. If you make obeying the laws of God your standard, you can be sure to always get it right.