Justice
Dear Warrior Woman,
I pray that you are maintaining a posture of prayer as we all grieve the senseless murders of so many, and are painfully aware of the national unrest wihin our country. Typically, I do not release blogs to my subscribers on Mondays. However, given this unique time in our history, I have decided to share with you my Instagram post from today. On Mondays, I am now releasing a "one word" themed micro-blog for my Instagram viewers. If you are not connected with me on Instagram yet, please be sure to follow me so you will never miss my Microblogging Mondays and other special content released. Blessings to you!
Sincerely,
Patrice
June 8, 2020 Instagram
Microblogging Monday Posts
JUSTICE.
I believe in the power of transformational worship. I believe there is no way one can authentically encounter the presence of God and ever be the same. For those of us who claim the name “Christian,” to be disciples or followers of Christ, everything about our relationship with God informs every aspect of our living.
Micah 6:8 (ESV) says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” When we think about the three requirements spelled out to the Israelites, they were: 1 - do justice, 2 - love kindness, and 3 - walk humbly before your God. However, I would suggest a reversal of these requirements in practice. The reality is unless you walk humbly before God, you will not love kindness to the point of doing justice.
In light of all that has occurred in our nation and world over the past weeks, I kept thinking about this passage. God used the Old Testament prophet Micah to speak judgement against the Israelites because they were essentially guilty of not meeting these three requirements. Interestingly enough, it was God’s covenant people who had fallen short. These, his chosen people were the audience being addressed; not those who did not claim relationship with him.
The lesson for us today – we can do a lot of stuff in action to portray being a “good Christian,” but if our heart is far from God, then it is meaningless. God has a heart for justice and kindness, and so should we. It is our responsibility as believers to reflect the heart and nature of God. When he is grieved by injustice, then we should likewise be grieved. Being a Christian should always override being black or white, democrat or republican, male or female. We all need to “do justice” because that is what honors God.
As I reflected upon the tragic loss of life taken from so many because of systems that are inherently broken, I kept asking myself, “Why have we kept these systems in place when we know it is not working for ALL people subjected to it?” I realized everything goes back to knowing God. All systems – criminal justice, judicial, education, government – they are all made up of people. If those people are given authority to carry out their judgement but do not walk humbly before God, then their actions will never reflect justice.
As I consider the example of Jesus, I am encouraged in reconciling my faith. You see, Jesus modeled justice. Throughout the Gospels we see him advocating for the poor, oppressed, afflicted, marginalized, and disenfranchised. He associate with them. He validated them. He championed them.
Let this be our resolve also. May our hearts be moved to the point of doing the work of justice. However that may look in your sphere of influence, be faithful and obedient to the work of justice God has called you to do. Justice is not separate from worship. Rather, it is the expression of it. The more we engage with the presence of God, the more we become like him. He is holy, he is righteous, and he is just.
