Before Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States, he was affectionately known as “Honest Abe.”

As a young store clerk in New Salem, Illinois, when Lincoln realized he had mistakenly shortchanged customers, he would seek them out and give them the correct change, even if it meant walking for miles.

It didn’t take long for people to take note of his integrity and request him to act as a mediator and judge in civil disputes. His integrity was known throughout the region. As the old adage goes, “honesty is the best policy” and Honest Abe knew it.

As believers, we know that righteousness and integrity go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.

Righteousness is the quality of being morally upright. Integrity is the quality of being steadfast to strong moral principles.

According to Scripture, righteousness is a byproduct of having a right relationship with God and others. As we grow in our vertical relationship with God, our horizontal relationship with others will be positively impacted.

Proverbs 13:6 reminds us that righteousness safeguards us and wickedness puts us in danger.

When we live to please God and choose to walk in His righteous ways, He keeps us from the destruction and negative consequences that await the wicked.