“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This is something that all Christians should automatically know and have confidence in.
God is inherently good. But God is also inherently just. He demands justice. That’s the value of the cross. None of these promises work for self-righteous people who don’t need the cross, because God demands justice. Having paid the greatest price to redeem our sin, by paying for it with the precious blood of His own Son, Jesus Christ, He can now be both just and good in our lives. Grace is only available when justice has been served. Thank you, Jesus!
Since we have embraced the covenant relationship we have with God the Father, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, and made aware of such by the revealing of the Holy Spirit, we now begin to wrap our minds around this greatest of all promises to the saints, His church.
Because the Spirit of God intercedes for me continually, with requests I can’t grasp or understand, I walk by faith in Him, trusting Him to work out His goodness in me, in spite of my many failings. That’s grace.
If you have not entered into this covenant relationship with Christ that satisfies God’s just demands, do it right now. You don’t have to be in church. You can do this at your computer or iPhone. Just do it quickly so God can begin to implement His purposes in your life.
Tags: covenant, good, grace, justice
When we were raising our children, one of the comments that we would often heard was, “Not Fair!” It seemed whatever we did as parents didn’t seem fair. Our children were different ages, had different temperaments, and in were in different circumstances, yet they all wanted us to treat them fairly. If they didn’t get what they wanted when they wanted it, they thought it was “Nor Fair”!
So many situations in life shout, “Not fair!” I observe Christian couples who struggle to have children while others are blessed with children and ignore or abuse them. I look at families whose children are all alive and well, and others who have a disabled child. I see friends who long to serve God but can’t because of health issues. “Not fair.”
I then must remember that we are not the judges of fairness. God is sovereign and does things the way He chooses according to His plans and purposes, not ours. The question isn’t about fairness. In the end, it’s about trust in a faithful God who knows what He is doing.
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
Life is not always fair, but God is always faithful.
Tags: fair, justice, trust
Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”.
These are three interesting requirements. 1) We are to do justly. Justice is what is deserved. Justice honors the Law. If I deserve it, I can demand it. It is owed to me. I am to live my life sowing seeds because I can expect to reap what I sow.
2) We are also required to love mercy. Mercy is the opposite of justice. Mercy is when I get what I don’t deserve. Mercy is when I find grace because I deserved justice. I am to do justly, while I am to love mercy. How do we reconcile these two opposite concepts?
3) We are to walk humbly with our God. To walk humbly is to recognize that we are nothing in ourselves. It is to remain open as vessels that God can use in any manner He chooses. I am to act justly, while demonstrating mercy to others, so I can be a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. These things the Lord requires of us.
Tags: humility, justice, mercy, Micah 6:8, requirements