God of Justice

Y'all! Next week is family camp! It is a WHOLE week where our church takes a bunch of families to Lake Tahoe, NV, to fellowship and have some spiritual respite! I am going as part of my internship with the church this summer, so I will be busy by the lakeside next week! I'm not complaining!!!

I just finished reading my two Bible chapters today, from Isaiah 3+4. It's honestly kind of a sad passage, but I thought I would share my thoughts anyway, as well as update you all with the coming week's activities!

Isaiah 3:14-15 says, 

The LORD comes forward to pronounce judgement on the elders and rulers of his people: 'You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor. How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?' demands the LORD, the LORD or Heaven's Armies.

In my footnotes, it reminds readers that justice is important to God. It is part of His nature, part of the way He runs the universe. It encourages readers to see that God holds the poor in high regard, and has a deep sense of justice to help and comfort His Children.

It also says, "When we do nothing to help the oppressed, we are, in fact, joining with the oppressor. Because we follow a just God, we must uphold justice." Now, I realize that the current political climate is currently leveraging justice on a variety of fronts. Justice seems to mean the same thing for a lot of people (when it all boils down), but there are different ways people believe will make things just. This post isn't supposed to get political. I'll leave that between you and God, and keep mine with me and my God time too! However, I was encouraged in my Spirit to continue praying that God would align my eyes and heart to see justice as he sees it.

That last line nailed it for me! We follow a just God, we must uphold justice.  I had to ask myself: What am I adamant about seeing justice in? How am I allowing God to use my life to stand for justice? How can I be more like Christ in this area?

For me, I am passionate about cultivating hearts and minds for Christ. I will stand for that and am adamant in partnering with Our God of Justice so that more people can have relationship with Him! I am passionate about men and women renewing their mind in Christ! This means fighting against the darkness not just around us, but those thoughts that come in our heads that are not from God! This battle looks different for so many of us, but I want to encourage both you and me to play our part.

What does justice look like in your life? How can we be more Christlike when it comes to something that seems to be defined in a thousand iterations?

May I be bold enough to say that the Bible holds the truth about Justice. God Almighty is the One who justifies. Opinions and interpretations aside, there is a role for each of us when it comes to justice. To pray. Some of you reading this may be inspired or called to serve justice in a more overt way- which is an amazing honor and privilege if that is your lot. For those of us who are not sure and are seeking God in what that might be for us, let me remind us to pray. To humble ourselves, put our personal idea of justice aside and like Christ may we lift up the humblest of prayers, that not our will, but the Father's will be done.

To be honest, justice is a newer characteristic of God that I am taking note of in a new light. And, from my gatherings thus far, I think that in order to support justice as God declares it, we must step into a position of humility.

Dear Lord,
Help us to be humble. You alone are Sovereign. You are Just. 
Give us courage to lift up our prayers and our lives to glorify you. May we have courage to be humble and willing to ask what our role on this earth is, especially as it pertains to social issues and to justice. Guide us, guide our leaders. Grant us wisdom as a whole.
 You are God, and you embody Justice. Help us to steward Your Justice as your sons and daughters, and to steward it well. Thank you for your caring heart towards us all.
Amen.

Y'all have a good week now! I am going to wrap up my travels and start getting ready for my fall semester back in Missouri!!!

Ta-ta for now,
Mel xoxox