Righteousness is a pillar of the reign of God. Those who would enter that reign must be gentle and merciful, faithful and sincere, lovers of peace. They must be willing to take the last place, to be the servant of all. The righteous are not often held in high regard. They are often ridiculed and even persecuted. When they are considered a reproach to the standards of society, they may even be put to death. There are times when we might be inclined to envy and resentment, not wanting to feel morally inferior, and we might relish the opportunity of putting the virtue of others to the test. We may say that we want to draw forth their strengths, when we really hope their weaknesses will be revealed and they will prove to be no better than we are. Sometimes the righteous have nowhere else to turn but to Jesus, whose life they are following and into whose death they have been plunged.