When Justice Wins

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8

The jury enters the courtroom, and the judge orders the defendant to rise. Those still in their seats are on the edge. Everyone is anxious for the verdict. "Guilty." The plaintiff breathes a sigh of relief. The guilty party continues holding his breath, awaiting a sentence.

Even if you've never been in a courtroom, you can probably picture this scene. It has been depicted in television shows and movies for years. As humans, something in us seeks justice. And maybe that's why those shows and movies have been so popular.

I'm a social worker. Justice is a huge part of my job, so much so that seeking social justice is a part of the code of ethics all social workers must abide by. As a result, I have spent a good deal of time in the last year trying to understand justice.

The world's definition of justice is cut and dry. If you did wrong, you must pay. If wrong was done to you, you should receive payment. Justice means a thief must repay what he stole. Justice means a murderer faces life imprisonment or the death penalty. But as a Christian, I want to seek justice God's way. And His justice is so different from our own.

God's perfect justice nails an innocent man to a cross.

Perfect justice doesn't seek retribution. Perfect justice seeks to make right what has been made wrong. In my job, I see children every day who were born into situations beyond their control. Justice means giving them a safe, happy home. We give the parents another opportunity to provide that home by helping them right the wrongs that brought their children into state care. Ideally, the children return to their parents but in a safer and more stable environment.

God did the same for us. We were born into a world we couldn't control, a world full of sin and suffering. But He still wanted to have a relationship with us. We couldn't have that relationship on our own, so He found a way to make it happen. Just like the children I work with can't overcome abuse and neglect alone, we couldn't overcome sin alone. So God sent His Son, the one who could overcome it, to make things right. 

Because of God's perfect justice, our relationships with Him can be restored.

The lengths God went to amaze me. I'm the one who deserved to die on a cross. I'm the one who deserved to be punished. But Jesus took my punishment. He died in my place. And in doing so He allowed me to have a relationship with Him. He allowed me to opportunity to live with Him for all eternity.

And He did the same for you.

I've seen a courtroom full of lawyers, caseworkers, family members and court members celebrate when a child returns to a parent. But the celebration in that courtroom is nothing compared to the celebration in heaven when any one of us returns to God. 

If you haven't already, now is your chance to accept God's justice. Now, is your chance to form a relationship with Him. All you have to do is say yes. When you do, there will be a party in heaven like you can't imagine.

At Your Feet

It's a cool warm summer night. You've been working hard all week, and you're looking forward to a night of relaxing with some of your closest friends. These nights haven't happened much this summer, and you can't wait for this one.

There's just one problem. You promised them dinner. It's an hour until they arrive and you haven't even started cooking yet. But it's okay. You're preparing this dinner specifically for a friend who is about to move. It's one of his favorites, so it's worth taking the time out of the hangout to finish the meal.

About an hour after your friends arrive, you finally take the food out of the oven. You sit down to dinner with them. You talk. You play a game - a group favorite, one that few of you have played since that night. The night gets late, but you don't care. You know this is one of those nights you'll remember forever.

This story isn't just a story. It's one of my favorite memories from this past summer. And I wouldn't change one bit of it. But I'll tell you this. Had I spent the entire night in the kitchen, I would have hated that night, and it certainly wouldn't be a night I'd remember years from now.

It kind of reminds me of one of my favorite Bible stories.

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.' But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her'." - Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

Over the last few months, a lot has changed in my life. I graduated college. Several of my friends have moved across the country or around the world. I've moved back home and started my first "big girl" job. In different ways, it's been both easier than I expected and harder than I planned.

The one thing that hasn't changed is knowing I am where God wants me. I also know some of what God wants me to do, and that's where the problem came in.

Most times, it's easier to be like Martha than Mary. We know how to be busy. We know how to work. We know how to be anxious and troubled. In our fast-paced culture, it's normal.

But God wants so much more than that.

God wants a relationship with us. He wants to come into our lives and sit down with us and eat with us (Revelation 3:20). He wants to be our portion, and when we choose to sit at His feet, He will never take that away from us. 

Serving God is good. In fact, He expects us to serve Him. After all, if we say we're Christians, He is our Lord. When we go out to work or school, when we're spending time with our families, and even when we're enjoying some alone time, we should be serving Him. But how often do we become "distracted with much serving"? How often do we forget that our relationship is more than just one of Master and servant?

God also wants a relationship of Love. He wants one of friendship. He wants one of sharing and communing together. When we come to Him, He wants us to enjoy our time with Him. He wants us to be able to rest and find peace. He wants us to share our concerns and our happiness. And He wants to share all the same thing with us. 

It's just like that night I had my friends over for dinner. I had promised to serve them dinner. I think they would have been a little disappointed, if not upset with me, had I not fed them. Because I've said I'll serve God with my whole life, He expects me to do what He asks of me.

But I also like to think that my friends would not have enjoyed that night nearly as much had I stayed in the kitchen working all night. After all, preparing dinner and dessert for five people takes time. Plus, that's a lot of dishes to clean, and you know you're not going to want to clean them after they leave. But they're not my friends because I feed them. They're my friends because they love me. And God didn't die for me just so I could do everything He told me. His laws were in place long before that. He died so He could have a relationship with me, and that relationship requires spending time together.

So here's a challenge. Evaluate yourself. See if there are any ways you're being distracted, even if it's with much serving. Then, get rid of those distractions. Sit at His feet. Choose what will never be taken away.

Let those times with Him become moments you'll never forget.