Uprightness Revealed: How Daily Conduct Expresses Fear of the Lord

He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord. — Human conduct divides into two paths, each revealing the heart's orientation toward Elohim.

Walking uprightly implies moral strength: the man is not bent and crooked by the infirmities of sin or the weight of depravity. He displays conscious rectitude, not bowing his head in shame before his neighbor. He stands as open as the day and as fearless as the sun.

By contrast, some walk perversely—crooked in their purposes, policies, and performances.

Yet conduct is not merely outward habit; it is the visible expression of inward devotion. Right conduct springs from a right feeling toward God. There is no true morality without religion. Piety is the first principle of all rectitude; all good living must have respect to Elohim. The man who walks uprightly demonstrates his fear of the Lord through his choices and character.

Wrong conduct, conversely, springs from wrong feeling toward God. He that is perverse in his ways despiseth Him. The wrongdoer ignores God as much as he can, showing no feeling of respect for his Maker.

Observe how men deal with one another, and you shall know how they feel inwardly toward their Maker. The marketplace, the home, the street—these are the pulpits where the human heart preaches its true theology.

(D. Thomas, D.D.)