January 5

Justice

Justice: when we are in the wrong, we fear it; when we have been wronged, we seek it. Justice confronts the sinner and comforts the one who has been sinned against.

When we see the blue and red flashing lights of the State Trooper’s car in the rear view mirror, we react in one of two ways:

• If we are speeding, or if our tags are expired, the pit of the stomach rotates 360º.
• If we are stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire, we are relieved that our help has arrived.

Justice is the foundation of the Throne of God.

This process of making things right, of balancing the scales, and of reaping the harvest sown, is a key function of the Kingdom of God. We must warn people that justice is coming. Someday wrongs will be righted. Stolen goods will be restored. Malicious lies will be corrected by the truth. Burdens will be lifted. Wounds will heal. It is the business of heaven and heaven’s King.

He begins with each of us. Our sins were many. Justice demanded punishment. It was only right that death, the wages of sin, would be paid. Jesus, the only completely innocent human being who ever lived, stepped into eternity’s court to take our case. He took our case, and more, He took our punishment! His death at Calvary paid for all our sins and justice was done. Today we walk in the freedom of forgiveness, fully justified by our faith in what Jesus did for us.

As we stride the paving stones of justification, we will encounter those who have not only done wrong, they have been wronged. If God is a God of covenant who seeks to bring justice to an unjust world, He has chosen us to be the administrators of that justice.

Today we can see:

• burdens we can lift,
• injustices we can correct,
• bondages we can break,
• cups of cold water we can share, and
• heavy hearts we can lighten.

We are called be:

• the hands of Jesus breaking the bonds of sin,
• the feet of Jesus walking out the Love of God in the real world where injustice reigns, and
• the voice of Jesus speaking truth into empty hearts, comfort into tense bodies and love into isolated, lonely souls whose only companions are fear and despair.

He brought us to justice so that we might bring others, both those who have wronged others and those who have been wronged, to Jesus, so that God’s justice can prevail for them, too.

Scriptures:
Psalm 89:14-16
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.
Amos 5:24
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me walk in mercy today, never forgetting that You have been merciful to me. Help me speak healing today, knowing that Your Word has healed me in the past, is healing me now, and will soon make my transformation complete when this mortal puts on immortality. Help me see with Your eyes and hear what You hear. So sensitize my spirit that Your Spirit can engage, empower, and enlighten me wherever I go on this, a day You have made. Help me to act justly and love mercy as I walk humbly with You. Amen.

Song:
The Wonder of It All
Words and Music: George Beverly Shea

1. There’s the wonder of sunset at evening, The wonder as sunrise I see;
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul Is the wonder that God loves me.

Refrain:
O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me.
O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me.

2.There’s the wonder of springtime and harvest, The sky, the stars, the sun;
But the wonders that thrills my soul Is the wonder that’s only begun. (Refrain)

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2016 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved