One of the greatest state mottos in America is found in Hawai'i: Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono — The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

Those words are both a promise and a warning to our people that a prosperous land requires righteous living.

Today, we face many economic, social and political challenges in the Aloha State, and recent troubles have sent many in our land scrambling for solutions and crying out to elected officials for help. I, for one, believe that the surest step toward recovery begins with looking back to the wise words of our state motto and pursuing a righteous life, in relation to God and our fellow man. Only then will we reclaim peace for ourselves and the promise of a blessed future for our keiki.

In the Bible's book of Hosea, God lamented, "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land.

"There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying" (Hosea 4:1-3 New International Version).

From that Scripture we learn people who forsake the way of righteousness — that is, faithfulness, love and acknowledgement of God — become so hard of heart they end up destroying their families, communities, economy and even the environment.

In Hawai'i, we who are so concerned about ending domestic violence, reducing the drug epidemic, establishing sustainability and preserving the environment need to realize that righteous living unlocks all of those things because obedience to God not only results in personal and social responsibility, it also brings a blessing to our lives and all the works of our hands.

We have to take a moment and stop focusing so hard on how we are going to earn money and accumulate possessions and start focusing on what it is we need to do to be righteous.

As a Christian, I find myself compelled by what Jesus said: "for the ... heathen wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all. But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you" (Matthew 6:32-33 Amplified Bible).

It's possible to attain temporary riches but destroy our personal relationships and health in the process. It's possible to get everything we've ever wanted but never have the time to enjoy it. The kind of success that Jesus offers is the success that adds no sorrow and doesn't destroy ourselves or others in the process.

If we want a Hawai'i all of us can be proud to live in, we need to make faithfulness, love and acknowledgement of God our first priority.