🏳️‍🌈✝️ Oceans of Justice

Written By Caroline Bellemare

November 29 2017

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“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them…. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”  Amos 5:21-24

A lady came to church and asked for a free snack. The guy in charge of the church’s snack shack refused. With a distraught look on her face, she turned to leave. Another church goer got upset at him and paid for the lady’s food, letting him know in a few words what she thought. He defensively replied. “She comes here every week and asks for that. She never even stays for the service.” Both had good motives, but which one of them had God-motives?

God is not a “religious” God. He sees far beyond our actions, our masks, and our ceremonious ways. He knows the depths of our hearts and the very fabric of our beings. And what He cares about is not so much our best behaviors, but our very souls and heart, every second of our lives.

And because He created us with the greatest care, human dignity is sacred to the Lord.

In our text, God reveals His desire in verse 24. The Message translation puts it this way: “Do you know what I want? I want justice — oceans of it. I want fairness — rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.”

His justice is fairness and love. We can’t be okay when we see poverty, racism, gender-based discrimination, and anything else that brings any of God’s image bearers down. We are called to a radical, incomparable way of loving. Only when we seize that deep identity can we become world changers.

Holy Spirit, come. Teach my heart and my mind to live according to the Father’s perfect justice. I cannot possibly do it without you. Show me areas where I have unknowingly been guilty of anything short of your justice. Show me how to love, may my life bring your Kingdom on earth. I love you, Lord. Amen.

Go Deeper — How do you feel led to bring dignity and love to our world? Is it by acknowledging homeless people on your way to work? Is it by beginning to make smart consumer choices to avoid buying products that encourage slavery and other abuses? How about not enabling racism? Whichever it is, don’t postpone it ― pray and act today.

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