Vijay’s life was transformed when he repented. Now, he was passionate about “seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness.” His inner life was transformed by the power of Christ; rituals had never had the same effect. Vijay was motivated to uphold sanctity of life, as per God’s design, so that he would enjoy the abundant life Jesus spoke about. When we see things the way the Bible presents them, we are attracted to ‘holy living.’
To find God’s ways is to find the kingdom of God and to live God’s way is to find righteousness. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-11) Jesus describes this path. The kingdom of God, which seeks weakness, brokenness, righteousness, and purity of heart, is altogether different from the kingdom of this world, which seeks power and glory.
We are transformed from one degree of glory to another into the likeness of Jesus Christ as we follow the path of the kingdom of God. Righteous living is visible when we work for the common good of all people irrespective of caste, economics, age or gender. Our love for others is motivated by the fact that God loves the world he created; he incarnated in the person of Christ to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
We uphold the sanctity of human life not just by avoiding murder, but by avoiding internal attitudes that kill; such as anger, hatred, and name calling. Therefore, we so not just not cheat on our spouse, but stop cheating inside our heart with lust and pornography; we love our spouse purely.
When we do fall short, we ought to confess what we have done wrong, and ask for forgiveness. We also ought to give that same forgiveness to others who have wronged us; anything else would be unfair.
Make amends with those you have hurt and work out your conflicts with others. As we begin to keep God’s ways, we set an example for others to do the same.