My favorite saying attributed to Ross Perot is, “I pick the jockeys and let the jockeys pick the horses, and ride them.” When I invest in God’s kingdom, I look for the right jockey in which to invest. I don’t invest in what they do, but who they are and who they are to become in God’s kingdom. I believe the most important task for jockeys working within God’s kingdom is enacting righteousness and justice. Why righteousness and justice, you may ask?

In Proverbs and Psalms, you may remember righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne. You may also recall that Solomon asked the Lord for these as he became Israel’s ruler.

“O God, make the king a godly judge like you and give the king’s son the gift of justice too. Help him to give true justice to your people, honorably and equally to all.“

Psalm 72:1–2 TPT

Solomon did not ask for great wealth but instead asked for the ability to lead the people of Israel with wisdom. This wisdom included enacting righteousness and justice in his kingdom according to Proverbs 8:20, “I lead you into the ways of righteousness to discover the paths of true justice” (TPT). Solomon exhorted us to be attentive to wisdom given by the Lord, which is stored for the upright, guarding the paths of justice and watching over his saints. You will then understand righteousness and justice as wisdom comes into your heart. (See Proverbs 2:1–10).

God loves righteousness. He is the God of righteousness and he wants it demonstrated throughout his kingdom. We are agents of his righteousness as the hands and feet of Christ. Matthew writing in his gospel said:

“So above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly.”

Matthew 6:33 TPT

Jesus spoke to a crowd and said “hunger and thirst after righteousness” even if you are persecuted for this righteousness. It was counter cultural then, and it is certainly today.

Wow! Can you think of anything a leader (or a jockey) is to do more than to seek after God’s righteousness? We are told in Proverbs that when the righteous rule, the city will prosper. In other words, when righteousness prevails there is human flourishing all around those leaders. Proverbs 11:10 says:

“The blessing that rests on the righteous releases strength and favor to the entire city, but shouts of joy will be heard when the wicked one dies.”

Proverbs 11:10 TPT

Who are examples of righteous people in the Bible? I draw upon some who you may not have thought about—“the least.”

The righteous act of stewardship by the widow in the temple gives me chills every time. During biblical times women were treated as second class citizens, yet Jesus honored these common women and used their example for us to follow.

In the spirit of faithfulness, the poor widow quietly went up to the temple and placed an offering of two small copper coins in the temple treasury. Jesus noticed. Think of the implications that Jesus noticed! He immortalized her righteousness by saying that she gave more than all the others. By kingdom standards, no one could have given more—the totality of her earthly security and all she had to live on. This act of righteousness made with no clue that the son of God was watching.

Then there is the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume from an alabaster jar. Few examples can match this righteous and extravagant generosity. All four gospels tell of a woman anointing Jesus. One of them says the perfume cost a year’s wage, probably $20,000 in current value. One account tells of the woman breaking the flask as she poured the perfume over Jesus’s head anointing his body before a pending burial that she could not have known was imminent.

Another woman, broken and known for her sin, performed an extraordinary act of righteous humility. In deep gratitude, she wept at the feet of Jesus, wiping his feet with her hair after soaking them with her tears. Kissing his feet was an act of righteous worship that required shameless abandon in the presence of other self-righteous critics.

These women gave their hearts and resources to honor the Lord. When we look at these righteous women as examples, we see that they made everything available for the kingdom. The giving of themselves demonstrated their total dedication. Those poor and low in society have a lot to teach us.

In God’s upside-down economy, he uses the “least of these” and “the poor” to demonstrate true eternal righteousness. If “the least of these” are so important to the Lord, then I think we should focus on taking care of them. I remember to honor “the least” in our society by tipping the maids in the hotel room, uber drivers, the porters or janitors in the airport bathrooms. I try to tip well because in God’s upside-down economy, you never know: I may be working for them someday in heaven.

There are facts to think about as the jockey mounts the horse. Don’t think that you have a righteousness of your own. Only the Lord is righteous. God bestows upon us his own righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says:

“For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 TPT

This righteousness is a gift. We are made righteous only through the life of Christ because of his obedience to the Father (see Romans 5:17). We take on godly character by abiding in Jesus as we walk humbly in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

It’s really important to understand what I am about to say: Our works on earth develop our righteousness, but do not provide our righteousness.

The more we do good works, the more we develop the character of righteousness. Jesus wanted us to “constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33 TPT) and I am comforted to know that the Lord will lead me in the paths of righteousness according to Psalm 23:3. So righteousness is truly a gift from God that we integrate into our daily behavior by walking in the Spirit.

How do we practically develop righteousness and justice? There is definitely a relationship between doing good that bears good fruit and becoming men and women of righteous character. The relationship between doing and becoming goes in both directions just as the door in a commercial kitchen goes both ways. Our right actions bear fruit to develop our righteous character. Our righteous character motivates us to perform right deeds.

Let me conclude by telling you a story of how justice was enacted in the marketplace by my favorite jockey.

Before I officially met Jenny, I was sitting in a business seminar in Asia in 2010. Jenny’s coworker sat down next to me and asked if she could share a unique business that Jenny had founded. As I listened, I was fascinated to learn of a jewelry company that Jenny had started to help women who had been exploited in the sex industry.

As Jenny walked the streets, she prayed for opportunities to share the love of Jesus. While walking by massage parlors and brothels, she noticed women who really pulled on her heart. She often thought to herself, What can I do to help them? Sometimes she would go in with the hope of becoming their friend. Being a creative, she thought, Can we do something about this? Maybe we can make jewelry with their help.

Fast-forward fifteen years. Jenny’s Starfish Project is a high-quality boutique jewelry business producing for the world’s largest fair-trade accessories brands. Jenny’s Starfish Project jewelry is sold by Kohl’s and even sold fifty thousand units on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Starfish Project also makes jewelry for other companies under their own brand names.

Jenny has now employed over two hundred women who have come out of sexual trafficking and exploitation. To further their training, Jenny offers them the opportunity not only to make jewelry but also to learn Microsoft software and become skilled in computer applications useful in the mainstream office workforce.

While many anti-trafficking organizations were struggling to survive in Asia, Jenny built an economic engine to take care of these women while sharing the love of Jesus. Her business became sustainable when she developed a legitimate, profitable business that affected several levels of society, penetrating the business market, the employment market, and even the brothels.

If you hear nothing else I say, know that righteousness and justice are important to God. Jockeys are to enact righteousness so that those around them can flourish. They are to provide justice to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves, so they too can experience the abundant life.

Enduring Wealth: Being Rich in This World and the Next

Wealth in a steward’s hands is powerful. With spiritual guidance and discernment, you can use your giftedness for God’s glory and yield incredible returns of eternal impact.

After years of investing in both successful and failed ventures, Raymond H. Harris shares how he has seen God multiply human efforts when people faithfully steward all God has given them. Based on biblical principles of stewardship and investing, Enduring Wealth will encourage you to

• build economic engines to cultivate assets for God’s kingdom,
• understand how to convert earthly assets into kingdom capital,
• give with wisdom and a joyful heart,
• foster partnerships and friendships with others to serve,
• listen to the whispers of the Holy Spirit, and
• live with an eternal mindset.

Watch God transform the world as you place your earthly treasures in His hands.

Click here to learn more.