May 23 - Looking for Justice

Read: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Over the several past months, we have all watched as our world has been ravaged by the effects of COVID-19. The spread of this disease has killed hundreds of thousands. The physical, emotional, and economical affects have taken a horrific toll. The question that begs to be answered is, “Who is responsible?”

There will doubtlessly be thorough investigations, mounds of evidence and billions if not trillions of dollars spent trying to find the answer to who should be held responsible for this tragedy.

Our nature wants this. We want to find justice when things go this wrong. We want to find someone to blame, someone to hold accountable.  We have lost so much; someone needs to pay!

Even in the most clear-cut cases with mounds of evidence, the most ethical of all courts, attorneys and judges, the lines of TRUE justice are still blurred. At the end of the day, we are all just human beings who do not know what REALLY happened. Even the wisest and most discerning among us cannot see into the past, much less the depths and motives and the human heart.

There is One Judge who can. He sees all and knows all. He sees all injustices, even those hidden far away in the depths of every human heart.  

1 Peter 2:23 says, Jesus “when He suffered, did not threaten, but continued to entrust Himself to Him who judges justly.”

We all want justice, until that justice is called upon to investigate the depths of our souls. Until we realize the One Who sees all and knows all will be called upon to bring His righteous condemnation down upon us to make us pay! He is the One sees every misdeed, every selfish evil intent, every skeleton in our closet and there will be no hiding.

The end of today’s reading (vs. 11) gives us hope.

The hope of being cleansed – washed clean, purified, unblemished and spotless.

The hope of being sanctified – Only those things that are pure can be set apart, consecrated, and dedicated to God. Jesus perfect life was given in our place, as full payment, as an act making complete and full amends and reparations for our guilt. By Jesus blood we purified from the inside out, imbued with His Holy Spirit making us fit to be used by God for His purposes.

The hope of being justified – When we are one day brought into the Divine Courtroom and laid bare before the Almighty, when we rely upon Jesus who paid our ransom, we are declared NOT GUILTY and acquitted of all charges. We have pronounced righteous, “just as if I never sinned.”

How does this speak to you about allowing God’s divine power to bring about justice in our world?

How will you respond to the hope of being cleansed, sanctified and justified? 

Spotlight on the Baby

“Listen to me, my people;
hear me, my nation:
Instruction will go out from me;
my justice will become a light to the nations.

My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation is on the way,
and my arm will bring justice to the nations.(Isaiah 51:4-5)

God used His prophet, Isaiah, to spread hope, to tell the people to 'listen,' Isaiah has been told by God, things He wants the people to hear. Things like: justice will become a light to the nations, righteousness draws near, salvation is on the way. These are encouraging words for a suffering people to hear.

Waiting for a Messiah to appear is not easy, especially when you have heard of this promise all your life and don't really understand what it is all about. Then, one day, you see for yourself. All the waiting and anticipation is over. The Star shines above, the shepherds follow the light and are rewarded when they find the baby, the light to the nations, the righteousness and the longed-for Savior.

Fast forward a couple thousand years. Imagine you are a shepherd and you have just seen the bright star shining above. Light has covered your once dark world. Things look different. Your life is new and laid out before you are opportunities to embrace; a Savior to follow. 

Do you remember when you first basked in the light of your Savior? Do you recall how everything changed when you first encountered the baby Jesus, when you saw Him for the first time? Tell about that blessed moment. Comment below or email here.

Isaiah 51:4-16

Being the Most Powerful Person in the Room

by Thomas Denegre

Today’s reading from Mathew 5:38-47

As a Christian, you are called to be the most powerful person in the room. I’m not talking about Bill Gates power, or President of the United States power, or a mafia boss power.  I’m talking about the power of God that is within us to change people and to change the world.  Let me tell you about Louie Zamperini.

In the true story called Unbroken, Louie Zamperini was an American Olympic runner from the 1936 Berlin Games.  In World War II his plane crashed in the Pacific and he spent 45 days adrift in a life raft. Hardly alive he was captured by the Japanese and was tortured for the next two years. Barely holding himself together after the war, he recounts his story to crowds of people.  But he must first numb himself with alcohol to tell his stories.  Living in a death-ward spiral in alcohol, Louie attended a Billy Graham crusade giving his heart to Jesus.  His life became transformed and renewed where he set up a powerful ministry transforming the lives of thousands. Truly, when his heart broke for Jesus, life, meaning, and power entered into Louie.

So let’s explore the nature of power.

To satisfy justice, Jesus explained the old way of tit for tat; or eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.  Throughout the ancient world the custom was revenge for a wrong against you.  This was the code of the sinner or the ungodly, (Psalm 1:1) who used their force of will upon one another. Force is not power.

We all know the outcomes of using the force of our will against another because for every push we impose we get one back.  Force always has a counter force.  Force seeks conflict and justification. Force is prideful, selfish, and brutish.  Force seeks to judge and condemn.  It results in polarization, not unity and its costs are high. Someone must always win or lose, whereby enemies are created requiring a constant defense. Being defensive is always costly as the anger, bitterness, envy, lust, and resentment will result in negative outcomes personally and culturally. This is the way of the sinner, the ungodly person, and the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

Then Jesus tells us how to become the most powerful person in the room.  He said we must love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us, “that you may be the children of your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:45) Finally, Jesus said, “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”(Matt 5:48)

Being perfect throws us all off, because we think it’s impossible.  Yet, we know our loving Father would never set us up for failure.  The Greek word here is 'teleios' and it can mean ‘perfect’ but it is more usually used to refer to maturity or wholeness. Research indicates the writers of the Vulgate translated the word into ‘perfectus’, when it really means “to be complete.” Or, to be made whole.

To understand this mystery the Lord brought to my attention two pieces of artwork.  In Japan, Kintsugi artwork will deliberately break a pottery bowl and mend it back with gold transforming it into a unique beauty.  The other artwork shows major cracks in a human sculpture with bright light shining through it.

The answer becomes obvious.  It is through our brokenness that our creator makes us whole and complete with the power of the Holy Spirit. Our brokenness does not come in our destruction, but when we open our hearts to God's love and trade in our pride for humility. In the same way, Louie didn’t become transformed and powerful until he opened his heart to Jesus. 

We become a unique beauty that radiates the light and power of God’s love.  By dying to Jesus, we admit to our brokenness, humility, failure, and incompleteness. We just can’t do things without God. By being born again, we become saints, (Eph.2:1-10) who are set apart to be with God. By living in life union with Jesus and having his words living powerfully within us, the power of God transforms us while His power radiates through our cracks into to the world.

When Jesus said, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one,” (John 17:20-23) we become the most powerful person in the room as the same glory of God that filled Jesus, fills us.  Did not Jesus say we will be doing greater things than himself? (John 14:12)  By being broken to God, His glory and power is allowed to complete us and to transform.

As a son or daughter of God we must understand the power of God’s glory is within us. Unlike the sinner’s (ungodly) use of force, a son (saint) of the light knows God’s power is rooted in love, meaning, significance, and purpose. Rather than having a counter-power, power stands still. It is like a standing field, such as gravity, that does not move, for love, forgiveness, mercy, kindness, compassion, and generosity are always received and never reacted to.

By being in God’s power we find nobility of purpose and sacrifice are inspirational, giving life significance. Like water filling a sponge, God’s glory completes us, enables us, and nourishes us.  God’s power is self-evident in that life is more important than death, that honor is preferable over dishonor, that the constructive is preferable over the destructive, that forgiveness is preferable over revenge, and that mercy is preferable over judgment and condemnation.

We become the most powerful person in the room by allowing our brokenness or humility to reveal God’s power through non-judgmental love, understanding, mercy, and forgiveness. By extending these powerful forces to friend and foe alike, we allow God to disarm them while soothing their wounded heart.  By living in life union with Jesus, we are given the ability or power to see people as God sees them.  Compassion, wisdom, and mercy will arise in our hearts from Jesus to make us the most powerful person in the room to transform lives such that, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

A Courtroom of Shame

Revelation: 20:11-15

Think of the most shameful thing you have ever done. Now imagine that you are in a courtroom filled with your family, friends from church and neighbors. Across from you is the District Attorney who is ready to explain to everyone why you deserve the maximum sentence.

Before the sentencing, the judge reads the charges against you for everyone to hear; your shameful act that cannot be reversed. He asks if you have anything to say for yourself.  Through tears of shame and regret, you make your remorseful plea. The DA sneers and responds with a venomous, angry attack, casting doubt on your integrity and your value as a person.

The judge pronounces your sentence and then you, along with all the other convicted reprobates, proceed out the door of the courtroom in a chain gang, each shackled to one another. Your head hangs low. You’re unable to look at anyone in the courtroom. You know that you deserve this punishment.

¹¹ And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. ¹² I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.  NLT

In the New Living Translation, the title of this passage is “The Final Judgement”. If you or I are judged solely on our actions as described here, our fate is sealed. The “great white throne” would not be an image of hope, but of shame, judgement and condemnation.

Thankfully, Paul tells us in Romans, that is not the case; that we have hope through Jesus Christ.

 ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord… [NKJV] ¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus... [NIV]

Jesus suffered the shameful death on the cross of a common criminal so that we wouldn’t have to; so that we wouldn’t be required to face a courtroom of shame and judgement. Thanks be to God.

Fair or Foul

"That's not fair," is a cry we hear children declaring when something doesn't go their way. I remember as a child feeling that so much was just not right. I may have stamped my foot in frustration, thinking perhaps someone would take notice and make things right again. The thing is, my childlike attitude was reflective of my maturity level, quite low.

Now, in my grown-up world, I am witness to adults who exhibit the same childlike behavior when faced with difficulties or challenges of all kinds. Sure, the loss of a job often isn't fair, but a result of a weak economy. A dwindling savings account caused by an unexpected illness isn't fair either, but we learn as adults, the world isn't fair.

Matthew 20:30 (MSG)
³⁰  Suddenly they came upon two blind men sitting alongside the road. When they heard it was Jesus passing, they cried out, "Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!"

If we stomp our feet and pout every time we are face to face with injustice, people will soon tire of our attitude. So, what is considered just during times of unexpected peril? How do we justify our troubles? How do we look at them and decide to overcome?

When Jesus encountered the blind men referenced above, He knew their blindness was not because of any wrong doing or bad decisions, it was just a fact, unfair, but a fact.

Matthew 20:32-34 (MSG)
³²  Jesus stopped and called over, "What do you want from me?"
³³  They said, "Master, we want our eyes opened. We want to see!"
³⁴  Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant, and joined the procession.

When we encounter people caught up in the unfairness of life, we too can help. We only need to acknowledge their plight and step up to the plate. Ask the same question Jesus did, “How can I help?” Then pray and do what you can.

The Bad Guy Looses Once Again, Isaiah 52:1-10

I love action adventure movies where the main character utters clever lines, seemingly off the cuff. Let’s see if you can name these movies?

“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth” (A Few Good Men).

“I’ll be back” (Terminator).

“Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”(Batman, 1989).

I get chills when the hero puts the villain in his place. Our scripture passage today shows God putting Israel’s captors in their place. He says, “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.” He then says that they will know it is God who saved them and they will know His name.

At first glance it may not seem like much, but God is informing Israel’s enemy, who considers themselves invincible, that He alone will redeem his people and it will be at their expense.

This story contains a promise for us as well. Many people today are enslaved; whether it’s physical, mental, or spiritual. Our enemy wishes us harm and God is announcing that He will redeem us, and the enemy will know it was God! Jesus is our redemption. Though it cost Him everything, it’s funny, Jesus death isn’t payment to the enemy, this payment goes straight back to the Father.

Read today's passage on Biblegateway Isaiah 52:1-10

Divine Retribution Isaiah 35 1-10

I was watching the news the other day, listening to one sad report after another, when I noticed an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to turn the channel because a great sense of hopelessness was surrounding me, yet I was hurting badly as one tragic story after another was reported but, I continued to watch hoping for something good to come.

Do you ever wonder what happens to the families we hear about on the news after the story fades into history? How do the parents of abducted children get up every day? How do victims of abuse and neglect find the strength to survive? I often think about the victims in these tragic stories and praise God that through Jesus we are given grace to not only survive but thrive in the midst of hopelessness.

Then my smile widens as I remember a verse in today’s passage, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” These victims are never forgotten, or forsaken. It may feel like it now, but for those of us who are in Christ a day will come where God will seek divine retribution! Doesn’t that just make you want to shout, “AMEN!”

Read today’s passage on Biblegateway Isaiah 35:1-10