Luke 1:6 
Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. (NLT)

Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. 
(The Message)

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Some people like being right all the time, even if they aren’t. They don’t like being questioned or considered mistaken in any way. Being right is their might. 

Some people do what’s right almost all of the time, and when they slip or trip, they apologize and make amends. 

The question we really need to answer is whether we are right in God’s eyes. 

Notice what Luke records about Zechariah and Elizabeth. 

Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.

If I say I am righteous, I might be right. I might also be blind to some fault or another. I may live a squeaky clean life, but become so self-righteous that pride becomes a real problem. 

You get the picture that Zechariah and Elizabeth were unconsciously righteous. They didn’t pretend to do the right thing. They weren’t legalistically righteous. They did the right thing, the right way, for the right reason, in the right timing. It was their habitual lifestyle. They lived at peace with God and their community. Their arguments were few and ended quickly with a peaceful and loving resolution. 

Whoever Luke interviewed about this couple (See 1:1-4), his or her opinion firmly expressed the confidence of their careful and loving righteousness. 

Compare and contrast yourself. You don’t have to tell anyone what you discover unless you so desire. How do you measure up to this kindly couple? Would God say you are like them, careful to obey his commandments, welcoming to a pregnant teenager, agreeing to parent a child they would never see grow to maturity? 

A good approach after a bit of introspection might be to ask God where you stand in his eyes. Ask what you are doing well and how you can do it better. Ask where you are falling short and how you can improve. Ask him to guide your thoughts, feelings, and decisions in such a manner and to such a degree that his pronouncement on your life echoes that of Zechariah and Elizabeth. 

This is something Jesus talks about in John 15, when he describes pruning for fruitfulness. Fruitful living is effective, productive, kind, and gentle. It is good. It is the overflow state of connecting with Jesus. 

May you overflow with authentic and abundant righteousness for the rest of your life.

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I will invite God to shape my life with the kind of righteousness that makes him smile.

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Our Father, make us like Zechariah and Elizabeth. Give us lives you can smile on. Give us delight in your abundant and amazing grace. Make us fruitful and effective, kind and gentle, loving and lovable. Amen.