- araratchurch
- Jul 16, 2024
- 3 min read
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8 NKJV
I could not have known 47 days ago the events that would transpire within this period of time. Indeed, the Lord ordained these 47 days of instruction to prophetically help us navigate the events within this period of time and beyond.
We don’t know what the coming days will hold. However, we can be sure that as we follow the Lord, listening to the leading of His Holy Spirit, He will keep us safe and prepared, wherever our path of following Him leads.
Over the last 47 days we have discussed many aspects of justice.
We have considered what justice is and what it is not.
As well, we have examined the many motivations that foment injustice in the world, ranging from self-absorption and self-interest, to outright evil intent.
I will again caution you here that we must not define justice as what we want to see happen.
When our own agenda skews the definition of justice, it’s only a matter of time until we turn a blind eye to injustice, or personally commit the same.
The standard we must use to determine what is just, what is right, is the word of God. Indeed, we must comport ourselves within His standards and guidelines. Those guidelines are not just for other people.
Given, as long as we live in a fallen world, we will see injustice. However, we must not grow numb to injustice such that we may be inadvertently accepting it. And certainly, we must never be the one who commits injustice.
Now, there is no doubt that we will personally experience injustice. But, we must not become bitter and calloused to the suffering of others as a result of our personal abuse.
It would be very easy to become overwhelmed when seeing the lies, the deceit, and the perversion of justice, so rampant in our world.
Yes, it’s hard to accept the travesty of such things as a two-tiered justice system where what you have, and/or with whom you are associated, assures the receiving of justice, whereas those who do not fall in that category, have their cries for justice fall on deaf ears.
I’m not saying that the prospects of seeing justice must wait for the next life. But I will tell you, only the coming eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ will truly bring justice for all.
So, we anxiously await the rule and reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will set all things right and will rule and reign in justice.
In the meantime, we can possess His peace now, knowing that even if we are suffering injustice, He knows, He sees, He cares, and He will repay.
I’ll leave you today with this prayer from Saint Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jul 15, 2024
- 3 min read
“And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”
Genesis 45:3-5 ESV
I am reminded of a story Corrie Ten Boom told of being confronted by one of the most cruel guards at the concentration camp at which she was held.
Corrie was having a meeting in Germany. After the meeting this former guard came forward, asking her forgiveness. She said that as he reached his hand out to shake her hand, she knew she did not have the capacity to forgive this man. You see, this man was basically responsible for the death of her sister in that same concentration camp.
At that pivotal moment, Corrie realized that the forgiveness God had given her, must flow through her. Yes, that forgiveness could forgive this man! Then she did it; she reached out her hand to her former abuser and offered the forgiveness Christ had given her.
I think that many people who have experienced a great injustice, probably spend time thinking about what they will do to get revenge, if given the opportunity. But, that’s not really how we, as followers of Christ, are supposed to be.
As we discussed early in our “47 Days of Justice,” vengeance belongs to God. He will repay.
With that, it is actually for our own good that we forgive those who have treated us unjustly.
Consider Corrie Ten Boom’s poignant observation concerning forgiveness versus bitterness:
“I knew it [forgiveness] not only as a commandment of God, but as a daily experience. Since the end of the war I had had a home in Holland for victims of Nazi brutality. Those who were able to forgive their former enemies were able also to return to the outside world and rebuild their lives, no matter what the physical scars. Those who nursed their bitterness remained invalids. It was as simple and as horrible as that.” (Corrie Ten Boom)
We have been examining the story of Joseph and his brothers over the last several days.
In our opening scripture we see that Joseph, having been given the opportunity to exact revenge on his brothers, rather chooses to take the opportunity to forgive.
Joseph’s brothers are now the ones on the begging side of the equation. They who ignored his desperate cries from the pit, now need his mercy. Even so, Joseph not only forgives his brothers, but provides for them to bring their father and all the family into Egypt where they would be sustained during the terrible famine.
You see, Joseph was able to do this, knowing that what they had meant for evil against him, God had used for a greater good.
Can we say that good can always come out of terrible mistreatment and abuses? All I know is that whatever we surrender to the Lord, He will somehow work for our good and His glory. Of course, it’s not easy to keep that in mind when you’re being mistreated, abused, or treated unfairly. But, God is the ultimate Judge, Lawgiver, and King, He will sort everything out and give to every person according to what their work has been.
Additionally, I think that there is no greater opportunity for Christ to be shown through us than when we forgive someone who has abused us in some way.
Remember, ultimately, the only way to be truly free from your oppressor, abuser, etc., is through forgiveness. Otherwise, not only will God be displeased, we will be forever connected to the one who has done us harm.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jul 14, 2024
- 3 min read
“During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.””
Genesis 41:50-52 NLT
There’s an interesting account in the Bible about the interactions between Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban. If you’re familiar with the story, you know that Laban deceived Jacob in terms of who he was marrying, and continued to practice that type of deceit throughout Jacob’s time there with him.
For example, Laban would say that a particularly patterned animal from the flock would be Jacob’s wages: speckled or striped. But when that type of animal was abundant, Laban would change his mind and say that the other kind would be his wages. Amazingly, the Lord always prospered the portion Laban relegated to Jacob.
When Jacob decided to leave the house of Laban he described all this to his wives:
“You know how hard I have worked for your father, but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young. In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.”
Genesis 31:6-9 NLT
Even as Laban was trying to cheat him, the Lord did a transfer of wealth from Laban to Jacob!
It’s hard to see how injustice could work for our good. But, if we are under the Lord’s blessings, subject to the Lord‘s favor, He can make us prosper in spite of our grievous circumstances.
Now, it’s easy for us to think that what happens to us is completely dependent upon our circumstances. In other words, we might believe that our circumstances would have to be conducive for the good things we desire to happen. But, as we have discussed before, the favor of the Lord, far outweighs any circumstantial advantage.
What Laban did was wrong; but the Lord—within that context—blessed Jacob. The angel of God had even told Jacob that the Lord was prospering him BECAUSE He had seen how Laban was treating him!
But there’s more to that story about Jacob that I will have you consider. As mentioned, Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah, the older daughter, first. Apparently Leah was not as attractive to Jacob, as was Rachel. But the Lord saw Leah’s grief, and gave her children by Jacob far before Rebecca was able to do so. Indeed, the Lord had closed Rachel‘s womb.
“So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.”
Genesis 29:30-31 NLT
Rachel did eventually have sons by Jacob; and we have been looking at the life of one of them, Joseph, as we have been discussing the issue of justice. But before getting back to Joseph, it is good for us to note that God cared for Leah and the pain she felt in being rejected by Jacob.
In our opening scripture we see that Joseph is now prospering as he rules over Egypt. He is overseeing the gathering of the abundant harvest that would last for seven years.
In the naming of his sons, Joseph is acknowledging that God has more than made up for any injustice he had received at the hands of people.
Child of God, don’t allow your circumstances to cause you to doubt the promises of God.
Remember, man’s injustice cannot, and will not, stop the blessing of the Lord. And yes, sometimes, His blessings are BECAUSE of the unjust way someone may have been treated!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!