We serve a Just Judge.
What is the ultimate justice for sickness? Healing.
What is the ultimate justice for un-rightousness? Revival.
What is the ultimate justice for sin? An increase of His presence.
He judges in kindness. His kindness leads us to repentance.
Lord come and judge us. Judge sickness in the earth. Judge this unrighteous earth in your kindness. Judge our sin. Because we desire more of your presence.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
True Justice
I have been thinking quite a bit about the death penalty. I find it interesting that protestants tend to be pro-life at conception and pro-death when it comes to criminals. The defense of this tends to fall along the lines of "an eye for an eye" or "meeting out justice."
I was reading the Sermon on the Mount today. In it I read "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'" and I realized that the law Jesus was quoting there was the Mosaic law. I also realized that Jesus when quoting this was not saying "this is the way to live" but was actually saying, this is the law, but I am going to give you a deeper law. And He does. He says "turn the other cheek."
I was trying to put myself in the place of a person robbed of a loved one. I can't imagine the pain and anguish that would cause. I completely understand the desire for justice. We were born with it and we cannot escape it. We cannot repent of it. It is an imprint on our hearts from Heaven.
However, when we pursue human justice and correctly meet out the judgment rendered on the person condemned to die we have acquired that justice that our heart cries out for. But that pain and anguish are still there. Somehow the human justice can't meet the true justice that our heart desires.
So how do we get True Justice?
We turn the other cheek. True Justice can only come from above. True Justice can only come about because the unjust person has truly changed and reconciliation has happened. Can it happen? Yes. Does it happen? Not enough.
Imagine the True Justice of putting your arm around the neck of the person that robbed you of a loved one, laughing and being friends, and all the while thumbing your nose at the Destroyer.
If it can happen once, it can happen more than once.
I was reading the Sermon on the Mount today. In it I read "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'" and I realized that the law Jesus was quoting there was the Mosaic law. I also realized that Jesus when quoting this was not saying "this is the way to live" but was actually saying, this is the law, but I am going to give you a deeper law. And He does. He says "turn the other cheek."
I was trying to put myself in the place of a person robbed of a loved one. I can't imagine the pain and anguish that would cause. I completely understand the desire for justice. We were born with it and we cannot escape it. We cannot repent of it. It is an imprint on our hearts from Heaven.
However, when we pursue human justice and correctly meet out the judgment rendered on the person condemned to die we have acquired that justice that our heart cries out for. But that pain and anguish are still there. Somehow the human justice can't meet the true justice that our heart desires.
So how do we get True Justice?
We turn the other cheek. True Justice can only come from above. True Justice can only come about because the unjust person has truly changed and reconciliation has happened. Can it happen? Yes. Does it happen? Not enough.
Imagine the True Justice of putting your arm around the neck of the person that robbed you of a loved one, laughing and being friends, and all the while thumbing your nose at the Destroyer.
If it can happen once, it can happen more than once.
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