Matthew 20

"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

How are we to be more righteous than others?

Jesus gives us an example in Luke.

"The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'" ~ Luke 18:11-13

Practice humility. Righteousness is being acceptable to God.

How can we be acceptable to God?

We are to keep all of His commandments.

How do I keep to every rule? That would be living in a state of perfection, wouldn't it?

We can try all we like to be perfect and we should try to live in a manner acceptable to God. Never forgetting to ask Him for His strength to do so and always remembering the only way to be perfect and acceptable to God is through accepting God's gift of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;" ~ Romans 3:23-24