Posts Tagged ‘Justice’


Under Gods Command

Luke 17:1-5 “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.  It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.  So watch yourselves.  “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.  If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent, ‘forgive him.”The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you. 

 Jesus warned about God’s wrath for those who offend and abuse.  How appropriate such a warning is in this day when corruption enters our homes every day in many television programs or on the internet.  While Christians must guard against physical abuse, they also must be aware of and work against the mental and spiritual corruption that unfiltered television and internet surfing can bring. 

To rebuke does not mean to point out every sin we see, it means to bring sin to a person’s attention with the purpose of restoring him or her to God and to fellow humans.  When you feel you must rebuke another Christian for a sin, check your attitude before you speak.  Do you love the person?  Are you willing to forgive?  Unless rebuke is tied to forgiveness’, it will not help the sinning person. 

This was a hard one for the disciples; they wanted the faith necessary for such radical forgiveness.   The amount of faith is not as important as its genuineness.  Faith is not something we use to put on a show for others; it is complete and humble obedience to God’s will, readiness to do whatever he calls us to do.   The amount of faith isn’t as important as the right kind of faith-faith in our all-powerful God.


Under Gods Command

Zephaniah 3:1-2 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction

Do you know people who refuse to listen when someone disagrees with their opinions?  Their root problem is pride inflated self-esteem.  God’s people had become so proud that they would not hear or accept God’s corrections.  Do you find it difficult to listen to the spiritual counsel of others or God’s words from the Bible?  Don’t let pride make you unable or unwilling to let God work in your life.  You will be more willing to listen when you consider how weak and sinful you really are compared to God.


In 1 Chronicles 28:9 We read that the Lord searches every heart.  Nothing can be hidden from God.  He sees and understands everything in our hearts.  David found this out the hard way when God sent Nathan to expose David’s sins of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 12).  David told Solomon to be completely open with God and dedicated to him.  It makes no sense to try to hide any thoughts or actions from an all-knowing God.  This should cause us joy, not fear, because God knows even the worst about us and loves us anyway.


David told Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:8 to be careful to follow every one of God’s commands to to ensure Israel’s prosperity and the continuation of David’s descendants upon the throne.  It was the king’s solemn duty to study and obey God’s laws.  The teachings of Scripture are the keys to security, happiness, and justice, but you’ll never discover them unless you search God’s Word.  It we ignore God’s will and neglect his teaching, anything we attempt to build, even if it has God’s name on it, will be headed for collapse.  Get to know God’s commands through regular Bible study, and find ways to apply them consistently.