Now, children, I give you this command: serve God faithfully and do what is right before him; you must tell your children to do what is upright and to give alms, to be mindful of God and at all times to bless his name sincerely and with all their strength.(Tobit 14:9)

To serve God we are to be upright, give alms, be mindful of God and bless God's name.

The Hebrew for upright is tsadaq. I understand this to be individual integrity. Each one of us is a particular expression of God. It is our task to fulfill this particular expression.

Giving alms is a tangible act of justice by which we recognize our relationship and responsibilities to one another. We are individuals in a community.

We are to be mindful of God and bless the name of God. We are to be attentive to the nature of ultimate reality and our relationship to the source of that reality.

We are to attend to ourselves, our relationships with others, and our relationship with God. This is how Tobit tells us to serve God... and, in the bargain, best serve ourselves.

Above is another rendering by Rembrandt of Tobit being healed. To the left is a Rembrandt etching of the crucifixion. In the life of Jesus we see righteousness, justice, and wholeness with God fulfilled.