“Justice and only justice, you shall pursue . . .”
(Deuteronomy 16:20 NASB).
There are many verses that call God’s people to justice, such as Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24, Psalm 89:14, Isaiah 58, Isaiah 61:1, and Luke 4:18. The Holy Spirit has been opening my eyes to see God’s heart on righteousness and justice and how that relates to everyday life. I’m growing in my prophetic understanding of these verses. I find that I am daily gaining a new perspective on how God sees many of today’s inequities and injustices in the light of His love and grace for humanity. I am becoming more righteousness and justice focused as I grow and mature in knowing that God strategically placed me at this time, in this generation, in my ethnicity for His divine purpose.
In 2017, for my ordination, I shared that my hope is to see the church step into tHe fullness of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind. And to see reconciliation among ethnic groups. These are the secret things God placed in my heart that align with His purpose for creating me that are being revealed as I continue to pursue purpose. Interestingly, what we see happening in the world had not evolved to the point where they are today, yet I sense in my heart that this is a part of God’s divine plan for the coming harvest of souls.
God created the world and everything in it, plants, animals and humans, so that we would live with Him in perfect union, harmony, justice and delight, and to flourish in life. The Biblical word for flourish is shalom often translated as “peace”. It describes something much deeper than just the absence of conflict or troubles. The world nor the world system can give you the peace Jesus gives. Look at much of the rhetoric espoused today and you’ll see a lot of conflict and an absence of peace. Jesus said,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn. 14:27).
His peace surpasses all understanding. There is a peace that Jesus left with us that says “all things work together” for our good.
God created human beings to live in loving harmony with Him, to love a care for one another, and to steward the earth. To undertake this stewardship in ways that reflected His way of love, righteousness, and justice. Instead of trusting God the first man Adam and his wife, Eve disobeyed God’s commands resulting in the “fall” of humanity. The consequences of the fall resulted in Adam and Eve being removed permanently from the Garden of Eden separated from God. We now live in a sinful world. Graciously, God in His loving kindness did not abandon His original plan. God established a covenant relationship with Israel to be His holy people, setting them apart and calling the display righteousness and justice in the world. The Law was given to Moses and provided guidelines for how they were to live, giving them the opportunity to worship God and flourish. God intended that they would be a witness to other nations of God’s love, righteousness, and justice. . Unfortunately, in their fallen state they were unable to worship God with their whole hearts and keep His commandments. So, God sent His Son to sacrifice His life for humanity. We now have a new and better covenant with Jesus as the mediator with better promises (Heb. 8:6). A covenant of grace.
The people of God are still called to live as God’s holy people in this world in ways that reflect His character, love, goodness, righteousness, and justice. We have been justified and sanctified by the saving grace of God, reconciled to God, given the ministry of reconciliation, and we have been committed to the message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:17-19).
This is God’s hope for the world!
Blessings,
Notes:
All Scripture is taken from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
BEYOND CHURCH WALLS 