Walking Righteously

First- I have to correct a mistake from my post a couple days ago. My husband was so kind to point out that it was Abraham who was bargaining with God for righteous people not Moses.
Second- After I posted the other day about our latest sermon and living righteously I came to the conclusion that I'm not sure what it means to "live righteously." So many times I think I/we throw "christian" words around and are not sure what they mean. My husband and I got in a discussion about the murder of the abortion doctor in our area. We began discussing if we thought he would be in heaven. No need to go into details about our discussion because it isn't our place to judge, but it brought about a theological discussion and we were left with the question,"What gets you into heaven."
As a child attending Sunday school so many times I heard that if I accept Jesus into my heart I will live with him in heaven. I believe that is true with all my heart but more complications arise as an adult. What if I stray from the Lord? What if I accept him as my savior but then live a life full of sin? If I invite him in once is that my golden ticket? Are there different rewards for those who follow him daily and those who, like the thief on the cross, repent at the last minute?
I don't mean to belittle the topic by asking these questions but it really caused me to question about living a righteous and holy life. I know I sin on a daily basis. I try not to but I know I do. In my mind living righteously is following Christ, having a personal relationship with him, seeking him daily, and striving to live a sin free life. This brought us to the topic of sin. I was telling Josh that we had a skit/trick we used to do when I was young. Someone would have three different size ropes. One really long one that represented someone who murdered someone, a shorter rope for someone who committed adultery, and then a shorter one for someone who lies. At the end of the "trick" they all become the same size. Sin is sin is sin. As a human I want to think of murder being a bigger sin than lying but in God's eyes they are the same. So again that brought us back to living a righteous life. Josh reminded me of the verse that I have been memorizing over the last week and that part that says, "Brothers and Sisters, I know I have not yet reached the goal (of being who God wants me to be), but there is one thing I always remember: Forgetting the past and striving towards what is ahead I continue trying to reach the goal and gain the prize for which God has called me through Christ to the life above."
I think that verse answers the question of how do I live righteously: Forget the past (God has) and strive daily to live as Christ.

Again, I challenge you to be one of the righteous in this world full of unrighteous!