In the foundation picture that the Lord gave me at the start of this project, there were several unnamed stones for quite some time. The foundation picture consists of 9 stones, 4 of which have been already named and studied.

The next 3 stones were named during a housegroup at our church in Birmingham. Our housegroup leader’s wife was praying and she mentioned Mercy, Truth and Righteousness and I felt the Holy Spirit indicate to me that these were the names of the next 3 stones for the foundation picture He was unfolding to me.

Righteousness is something we cannot earn or work for or even be born with. It can come only through a very good Friend of mine who gave His life for me. Jesus’ blood can actually cover my sins – a wonderful revelation and then we are accounted as righteous. Have a read of the early chapters of the book of Romans in the Bible – it makes fantastic reading (especially Romans, chapter 8).

My job in being given God’s righteousness is to maintain a close walk with God so that when/if I do sin (because as Christians it is the norm not to sin) then I have an advocate who will stand on my behalf before God and will acquit me as ‘not guilty’ when I confess my sins to him. I need to keep my slate clean and come before Him for His cleansing moment by moment in order for His righteousness to keep in operation. Being a sensitive being, I am easily aware of things in my life that are not right. God is at work in changing me but as soon as I bring these things to him, I am righteous before God even if I have to suffer the consequences of a wrong choice etc.

I can actually be free to live life as God intended all of us to live, not limited or feeling guilty about the shackles of sin. I can be one of the happiest people on earth and be blessed with a clear conscience as I live in His righteousness which God clothes me with. We are told to put on the breastplate of righteousness which in fact covers our heart – the centre and source of our earthly life.

Children need to experience forgiveness in very practical ways. They can realise the qualities of God’s righteousness which can make them know that when sin is confessed to God it is just as if they have never sinned before God. God’s righteousness can actually show them His enormous love for who else would be able to cover their sins and put these into the depths of the sea and forget them? So often we can forgive but it is harder to forget what someone might have done to us but God gives us a greater example. How we need to communicate all this to our children who are in need of the loving arms of Jesus continually.

So I and each of us have a huge responsibility to keep our lives pure before God so that people around can see God’s righteousness not any self righteousness or pride or haughtiness or even self effacing actions that try to make us look righteous (while hiding our true state). Let’s be real and free from hypocrisy and let God make us more and more like Himself – His doing alone! Then children have an example before them to follow. They can then follow God as we follow, too..