Justice and Righteousness
Amos 5:24 is another word picture from the Lord that speaks volumes to us. God loves justice and righteousness. He wants us to have each of them in abundance. It is not a matter of concentrating on one or the other; He wants both at the same time. In fact, they are practically synonyms.
God is always just. He always does the right thing in each situation. He is more than fair to everyone with whom He deals. He wants us to do the same thing in all our relationships and in our society. However, He is righteous. He is free from sin. He wants us to be righteous by knowing Christ and by living as He would enable us to live in the power of the Spirit. God is looking for both of these qualities all the time.
If we had perfect economic justice and social justice, but we were not righteous before the Lord and others, He would still not be pleased with us. Also, we are kidding ourselves if we think we can be righteous before the Lord, if we are not just as individuals and as a society. We can't separate the secular and the sacred parts of life. All of it is the Lord's world and His ways. Therefore, let's call people to justice and righteousness just like Amos did at the Lord's direction. Let's not leave out either one. God doesn't.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Amos 8-9 and Obadiah.
God is always just. He always does the right thing in each situation. He is more than fair to everyone with whom He deals. He wants us to do the same thing in all our relationships and in our society. However, He is righteous. He is free from sin. He wants us to be righteous by knowing Christ and by living as He would enable us to live in the power of the Spirit. God is looking for both of these qualities all the time.
If we had perfect economic justice and social justice, but we were not righteous before the Lord and others, He would still not be pleased with us. Also, we are kidding ourselves if we think we can be righteous before the Lord, if we are not just as individuals and as a society. We can't separate the secular and the sacred parts of life. All of it is the Lord's world and His ways. Therefore, let's call people to justice and righteousness just like Amos did at the Lord's direction. Let's not leave out either one. God doesn't.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Amos 8-9 and Obadiah.