Fairness

On May 4, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 99: 4                  NLT

Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness. You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel.

Our God is a God of justice and righteousness, but it must also be noted that He is a God of fairness. Fairness is one of those ideals that gets a bit lost sometimes. Some people say life isn’t meant to be fair. I disagree whole heartedly. Children have a basic sense of fairness. It is one of their measures of life. For some completely bizarre reason, as we grow up, we abandon the idea of fairness. Well, I say we should not and my evidence for this is that our Dad is fair. He upholds the ideal of fairness so I shall too.

One point which is of some interest in this verse is that fairness is paired with justice. Can you be a just God and at the same time fair. Better yet, can one be just if they are not fair? In today’s verse, justice, righteousness and fairness go hand in hand. It is good to know that God regards these things together. It certainly gives one a sense of ease knowing that His judgements are always fair.

The mighty and the powerful do not have to be fair. They have power. That may be one reason people think God is a harsh judge. They judge Him by a human measure. Some part of our inner self believes that because He is so powerful, He is also harsh. Nope! God is love and He loves justice, truth and even fairness. So, the next time you are in a position to dispense justice, let fairness be your guide.

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Justice for All

On July 1, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 58: 1, 11

Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land.

Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”

This is the first stanza and the last of Psalm 58. The first depicts life under human rule, the second reveals life in God. Sometimes it is frustrating living in a world ruled by man. Justice seems out of reach. Daily we hear of atrocities perpetuated by others, even by the rulers who are supposed to be the servants of and care for the people. It can deliver your heart into hopelessness. But, fear not, God’s ways will triumph and there will be justice for all.

There is reward for those who live for God. What does it mean to live for God, though? Is it something we truly do? Do we know how to? We live in a time when even within Christian circles we have become very enmeshed in the world. The worldly culture invades our Christian circles. Add to that the failing of traditional churches. Many people who identify as Christian do not attend church. The church ceased to meet people’s needs but the lack of congregating with other Christians has weakened us individually and as a group. We are, therefore, more influenced by the world culture that we live in everyday than by Christian culture. The outcome is that we may not know how to live for God. Where does He fit into our day to day life? What role does He have in my now?

To live in God’s justice and reward we must live for God. When He becomes the focus of our lives, life takes on a different complexion. That is not to say that you never have a problem. However, to the degree that we live in Him and to Him, we can avoid the sting of the world and its sense of justice.

God is a just God and a rewarder of His beloved. Don’t let the brokenness of the world system get you down. Look at the love of the Father. It is a much better view.

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Filled

On November 12, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 33: 5 – 6

The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

God gives us His justice and righteousness. The Bible says that we have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5: 21). We do not have to manufacture our own justice and righteousness. We have only to walk in His righteousness.

As we do, besides becoming our peace, he also becomes our stability. Another translation says that He becomes a “sure foundation” for us. In Him is a wealth of salvation for every situation. He saves us in all things. His salvation is more full than the salvation unto eternity with Him alone. It includes salvation anytime you need saving. We also receive a wealth of wisdom and knowledge so that we have His wisdom and knowledge for every circumstance of life.

And, as if that was not enough, we also walk in the reverence of the Lord, which is a gift from Him too. The reverence of the Lord, that relationship that we learn to walk in is a treasure trove in and of itself. Once you have the reverential love of the Lord in your heart, you have the key to unlocking anything and everything. It is the wisdom of God. The scripture says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverb 9: 10). You will not have need of anything because His wisdom, knowledge and power are on the scene to lead you into all righteousness which also leads you into all other things too. It is a cycle that keeps you filled up with all of the goodness of the Lord.

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Spiritual Requirements

On June 17, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Micah 6: 8

He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

It turns out that it really isn’t all that difficult to figure out how to be a good Christian. We have the words of Jesus. We listen to his words and do them. Even in the Old Testament days, before Jesus was manifested in the earth, God sent His word to guide us. Through the prophet Micah God revealed His will for us; walk humbly with our God, do justice and extend lovingkindness. Now what is difficult about that? 

Notice that God said to walk “with” Him. That is interesting. Many times I hear people say, “Walk humbly before your God,” but that is not what God said. His directive to us is to walk “with” Him. 

Secondly, be a just person. You can decide for yourself what that means but at a simple level it means to be fair to people. That is not really a difficult concept. I hear people say so often, “Well, life isn’t fair,” and they use that as justification to treat people unfairly. My response is, “Try to sell that land to God.” I don’t think He will buy that argument. He is a fair God and He requires us to treat people fairly as well. 

Last, be a kind person. Be kind to others. This one requirement is so broad, so vast in scope that it will cause us to reflect the essential nature of God in everything we do. Kindness is generated through love. In every single human interaction, be kind. That means be kind to your spouse, your children, your boss, your employees, the guy who cuts the grass, the woman who cleans the house, the clerk at the store, and on and on. Think of all of the people you come in contact with during a single day. Some of them you may not even particularly like but if you are a child of God you will show lovingkindness to every single one of them.

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