Neighbor Groups: Seek Justiceنموونە

Let the River Flow

Today, imagine a young couple registering for their wedding. They add a set of dishes to their wish list, knowing it’s a big request. Still, it’s something they really need. 

Fast forward several months. The wedding is over, and the couple is opening their gifts. They discover somebody gifted them a whole set of dishes! They feel loved, excited, and moved by the generosity of a friend. 

A few packages later, however, they open a box and it’s the same set of dishes. This time, they chuckle awkwardly, say “Oh, that’s sweet of them,” set it aside, and move on to the next gift. The couple’s dishes didn’t suddenly lose their function or value. They simply no longer desired them because they now had them. 

Once we have something, it’s easy to overlook it. Those gifts are a lot like justice. 

Maybe you’re like the couple, and you’re hoping, asking, and planning to receive justice. You know justice requires a lot from others, but you need it in order to live a full and good life. Maybe you’ve been mistreated, overlooked, or misrepresented. Maybe you’ve asked and are still waiting to receive justice from friends, neighbors, and people you go to church with. Maybe your life feels like the prayer of the persistent widow who kept asking for justice from an unrighteous judge.

Or maybe your experience has been different. Do you look around and recognize that you have not only received what you need but also maybe even seconds and thirds? While things aren’t perfect, they’re good. Maybe you feel like you’ve been given some kind of auto-subscription to justice and there’s not enough room in your life, or home, or church to store it. If so, what do you do with the extra? 

Let’s consider the Jordan River and how it compares with the Dead Sea.

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, the same river that Joshua led the Israelites across as they entered the land God promised them. It’s a river that abounds with life, nourishes banks of lush vegetation, and flows directly into the Dead Sea.

By contrast, almost nothing lives in the Dead Sea (hence its name), because it has no outlet. Having no place to go, all the minerals and salt carried from the life-giving banks of the Jordan build up and stagnate there, turning into lifeless, bitter waters.

With that in mind, what do we do with the package of justice on our doorstep? Do we keep finding places in our life to use it, store it, and build it up? Or do we let the river keep flowing by practicing the vastly underestimated art of regifting? 

Think of somebody who would love that gift—who needs that gift—and pass it on. God is not an unrighteous judge but a good Father who has more where that came from! 

What about people who are still waiting to receive justice?

First, let’s address how we regift justice and wade in the life-giving river. We start by taking inventory of all we have, including things we overlook like family, our place of birth, status, etc. 

Then, we listen to the wishlists of people with less. Jesus especially focused on women, children, mistreated races, prisoners, immigrants, and spiritually empty people. Those are some great places to start. 

So let’s focus on those of us for whom justice seems to keep getting lost in the mail or delivered to the wrong house. If that’s your experience, there is reason to hope. Jesus was talking to us when He said:

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 NLT

But Jesus’ promise is no reason to be silent either. The persistent widow kept asking for justice, and today we read how God responds to faithful persistence. 

Pray: Heavenly Father, give me a hunger for Your kind of justice. Show me where I’m lacking Your justice and restoration and where I have plenty to regift to others. Help me recognize any areas where I’m storing more than I need, and guide me as I seek to bring more of Your justice here on earth. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Challenge: Ask God where you’re lacking justice and restoration and where you have plenty to regift to others. Then, ask for direction on how to start regifting more of God’s justice to others.