Readings for today: Psalms 97-99
My mother places a high value on being fair. Growing up, she made sure every one of her three boys was treated the same. None of us got anything we didn’t earn. If she gave one of us ten dollars, we all got ten dollars. If she assigned one of us a chore, we all got chores. If one of us got involved in an activity, we all got a chance to pick an activity. She did her best to make sure we all got equal opportunity. What we did with that opportunity was up to us. I am not sure where mom’s passion for justice came from but it didn’t end in our home. She was a teacher and did her best to make sure every one of her students got treated the same. She is heavily involved in her church and supports ministries that are particularly focused on the less fortunate. She wants to do all she can to level the playing field. This is a passion she passed on to me. I too feel a strong call to justice and much of the work I do in Parker and around the world is focused on increasing accessibility and opportunity for those who otherwise wouldn’t have it.
The Psalmist extols justice as one of the main attributes of God’s eternal character. “Equity and justice are the foundation of his throne…the sky declares his justice and all the nations see his splendor…Zion hears and rejoices, the towns of Judah are happy, because of your judgments, O Lord…the godly bask in the light; the morally upright experience joy.” (Psalms 97:2b, 6, 8, 11 NET) The success of human society depends on justice. Without justice, there can be no peace. Without justice, there can be no blessing. Without justice, nations fall into ruin. We’ve seen it time and again throughout history and it’s one of the main reasons we find ourselves once again at the brink in the United States. Truth has been exchanged for a lie. Light exchanged for darkness. Good is now evil and evil good. The embrace of hatred, outrage, and deceit as acceptable means to achieve power in our society is literally killing us. We’re watching a culture commit suicide in slow motion.
So what’s a believer in Christ to do? First, we pray. We intercede daily for our nation and our state and our community and our leaders at every level. We ask the Holy Spirit to humble our leaders and bring them to repentance so they might confess their sins and turn to Christ. Second, we check our own hearts. We relinquish any desire for political gain ourselves. We let go of our own need for influence and control. We confess our pride and greed and selfishness. We humble ourselves and repent of our sin and turn to Christ. Third, we advocate. We get involved. We engage our world using godly means. We refuse to act in underhanded or deceitful ways. We refuse to be motivated by anger or hate. We refuse to demonize or blame any particular group of people. We fight for the truth. The whole truth and nothing but the truth so help us God. Most of all, we must be motivated by love. Love of God. Love of neighbor. Love of enemy. Love of self. In that order. This is the only way to bring healing to our world.
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, Psalms 30