Justice, Mercy, Faith

Hi Everyone,

Lately I have been reading and God has been really speaking to me about justice, mercy and faith. Justice, mercy and faith became the topics when I sought God for direction on what to teach in adult Sunday school class and it has continued to build for the last few weeks. And in a season where we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, these things gain even a greater importance. Why did Jesus come down to earth for us?

Justice, mercy and faith, what do they mean to you?

I have found that justice, mercy and faith guide a person in discretion, good sense, humility, discernment, integrity, self-control, moral excellence, love and trust in the Lord.

For godliness is just, merciful and faithful and Godly love is also just, merciful and faithful.

What is Godly love? Is Godly love just, merciful and faithful?

According to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable and keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.”

We all must examine and seek God for what is just, merciful and faithful. We all must see that we cannot be just, merciful and faithful without God’s help. For without God’s help we are helpless to stand against the sinful desires- the sinful desires that keep us away from the faith in Jesus Christ. We are helpless to see the things that come to trip us up, make us fall, and lead to eternal torture in what most of us know as hell.

For when we seek God’s help- it is surrendering our explanations and understandings in life so God can transform and build it up in the truth of Jesus Christ.

Friends, we cannot just sit around and seek what we want in the truth – we must seek the “truth” out in God. God doesn’t mind if we investigate but don’t just investigate the things you want to hear in God and stop. Like it or not God is not a buffet salad. A buffet salad god may look good because we choose what we want in God but wouldn’t you rather know GOD and what He expects from us fully- for He is true wisdom and whom we all will have to answer to.

I don't know about you but I rather know my “appetite” in God to be right then wrong.

There are lots of great things I like to put on my romaine salad such as shrimp, crab, grilled chicken, or pork and even taco meat but I choose these things because I like them not because of nutrient value or because they are good for me- Some of us (me included) rather pass by all the veggies that are high in nutritional value because they don't taste all that appetizing - same is true with a god we pick and choose -hence the name “salad bar god”.

God is God and we can't pick and choose what "He" is or else "he" would be a false god. If we pick and choose what we just want from God then "he" might as well be an idol that we have made with our own hands that really does us no good. If we believe in a god that isn’t just, merciful and faithful then how can we know and truly believe in justice or receive justice? How can we receive or give mercy? How can we know and be faithful if we have no living definition or rock solid foundational platform to live by and build upon?

For when we try to be just, merciful and faithful in own power and in own ways, it simply doesn't work and we “can” end up miserable, depressed, stressed, unhappy, feeling as a failure and feeling like we are always missing something.

This "missing something" is more then just heading out to the car without our keys… it’s about journeying through life without the REAL keys to life.

The REAL keys to life make us “whole”. Whole -we aren't continually checking our spiritual pockets and asking ourselves "what the heck am I missing? I know there has got to be more to this life"

The real keys to life make it possible to live and see life in a new way and perspective that we have never experienced before. God’s justice, mercy and faithfulness are continual and never ending and they ripen and grow in us as we mature in God’s truth. But in order for them to ripen and mature, we need God’s help and that help comes from the truth in Christ Jesus.

For without Christ Jesus in our lives we could not possibly be just, merciful and faithful.

Not to loose anyone here…. but in Christ Jesus we are born of the Holy Spirit who guides us to all truth in what is just, mercy and faithful.

Jesus came so we wouldn’t just be saved but so we would find and mature in these wonderful things. …”For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law- justice, mercy and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.” (Matthew 23:23)

For in the important things we see who God really is and wants to help us become.

Please read carefully, here you will see there is no fluff:
“But to all who believed him and accepted him (Jesus Christ), he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan- this rebirth comes from God” (John 1:12-13)

Jesus said, “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
“What do you mean?” Nicodemus asked.
Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, I am telling you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe us. But if you don’t even believe me when I tell you about the things that happen here on earth, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven? For only I, the Son of Man, have come to earth and will return to heaven again. An as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole, so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God. Their judgment is based on this: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved darkness more then the light, for their actions were evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished. But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants.” (John 3:5-21)

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” (John 14:15-17)

“But I will send you the Counselor- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me. And you must also tell others about me because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27)

“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and none of you has asked me where I am going. Instead, you are very sad. But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Counselor won’t come. If I do go away, he will come because I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is unbelief in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the prince of this world has already been judged. Oh there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me.” (John 16:5-15)

Yep… you have heard it before… Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Merry Christmas
Humbly
Jeff

Words to Continue to Discover

These are a few of the words that have been "sticking out" while I have been reading my bible.

"The Just" and "Justice" or "do what is right".
"Mercy"
"Faith" and "walking humbling with God"
"Compassion"

Here are some verses God has directed me to lately.
Matthew 23:23
Micah 6:8
Matthew 5

As I examined these verses I read "but you ignore the important things of the law- justice, mercy and faith" Matthew 23:23

Micah 6:8 says "No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

Matthew 5:6-9 "God bless those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace for they will be called children of God."

As "the just" we are to not only hunger and thirst for justice (Matthew 5:6) but we are to love mercy (Matthew 5:7) and have a pure, "humble", heart of "faith" (Matthew 5:8) which achieves and works for peace (Matthew 5:9).

Luke 6:36 After Jesus says to love our enemies, he says "You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." Jesus then goes on to speak of not judging others or we will be judged. He also speaks of forgiving others and giving to others which all "just" and "merciful" people of the Christian faith should do.

(NLT) Proverbs 16:6 "Unfailing love and faithfulness cover sin; evil is avoided by fear of the LORD."
or
(KJV) Proverbs 16:6 "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged : and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."

I feel led to dive deeper into these words.
What is "Justice" and "being Just"?
What is being "merciful"?
What is "walking humbly with God" and "Faith"?

Our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ is just, merciful and faithful are they not?... And are we not to reflect them and all their ways?

If you feel led check out these words on your spare time and you will see examples of them all throughout the bible.