Being Right vs. Acting Righteously

My friend and TOV Center Partner, Jim Myers, received a 6 page list of Biblical quotes in a reaction to his blog about the RealYeshua -- Jesus the Jewish teacher. I noticed after reading through this huge list, that the point of the writer was to convince and prove his "RIGHTNESS."  

This sense of "RIGHTNESS" is something I've experienced my entire life. Many people are absolutely sure that what they "BELIEVE" is "RIGHT!" So many expend their energy on defending their BS (Belief System), some even go to the point of killing others. The real crime, however, is that they ignore and do not practice the Values and Lessons that the Jewish Jesus taught – and are clearly recorded in those same Scriptures. They think that because they "BELIEVE" something, it is so -- without ever looking at the facts. If they ever acknowledged the facts, it would disrupt their neat little BS.

I felt Jim's answer was priceless. He replied:

"Thank you for the list of out of context verses. Please go back and reread them in their contexts and you will discover that `Believing’ is a not a FREE PASS to sinning and that harming or not helping your fellow humans is very important. . . . As you may or may not know, when things are taken out of context, you can make them say anything you want. I just find it amazing that your concept of god seems to lack Justice and Righteousness -- a god who doesn't care about how humans act towards one another."

I've been "evangelized" my entire life. I've been "Saved" more than most of you!! People always felt compelled to debate with me and convince me of the "Rightness" of their beliefs. Over the years of my studies, I learned many facts, even some that made my own BS uncomfortable, so much so, that I had to change my beliefs to fit those facts. When someone comes to my door and tells me that they have a message from Jesus for me, my usual response is:

“What do you know about his culture, his traditions, his language, his history, or his daily life as a Jew. Can you read or work with Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek? Or, do you just read someone else’s translations without knowing anything about the translator? Is your Bible the same Bible that Jesus read in the synagogue every Shabbat (Friday night until Saturday sundown)? Do you keep the Shabbat he kept? Are you sure YOU have a message for me about Jesus?????? If you want to learn about the Jewish Jesus, come in and we'll talk!”

Just because we have a "RIGHT" to do something, does not necessarily mean doing that action is "RIGHT" or even acting with "RIGHTEOUSNESS"! Here in Texas, guns are big. People feel it's their "Right" to bear arms. I'm not debating that issue, except in the case of those who are mentally ill or abusers prone to violence. People may BELIVE it is "RIGHT," but will what they do with those guns be "RIGHTEOUSNESS"? Do others have a "RIGHT" to not be around people who make them feel unsafe or in danger? The door swings both ways.

Being “RIGHT,” is nowhere near as important as acting “RIGHTEOUSNESS & JUSTICE.” My yardstick is the TOV Standard. If my thoughts, words and actions Protect Life, Preserve Life, Increase the Functionality of Life and Improve the Quality of Life for all people, then I'm not concerned with My "RIGHTNESS", only “RIGHTEOUSNESS” -- first towards myself then to the rest of creation.

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Shalom,

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor