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"Justice V. Mercy"
A news item that often catches the attention of the reader is when someone is required to amputate their own leg or arm in order to escape a piece of equipment. The reason that story engages us is that it goes against every fiber in our body to be able to cut a limb off. It violates the very nature of who we are.
Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.
God is just; to be anything other than just goes against every fiber of His being. Unlike the farmer who might be able to override his nature in the event of an emergency, God cannot and will not violate the essence of His being. He is just.
The worst possible prayer for Christians would be to beg God for Him to give us what we deserve. A just God has to judge our sins and if that meant we get what we deserve it is bad news for us.
Our just God provided a way to honor another part of His DNA. He is as merciful as he is just. God gave the ultimate sacrifice of His Son on the cross to satisfy His justice and His mercy.
Reflections:
1. How do we respond to not getting what we deserve from a just God?
2. As imitators of Christ, how do we imitate His justness?
A news item that often catches the attention of the reader is when someone is required to amputate their own leg or arm in order to escape a piece of equipment. The reason that story engages us is that it goes against every fiber in our body to be able to cut a limb off. It violates the very nature of who we are.
Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.
God is just; to be anything other than just goes against every fiber of His being. Unlike the farmer who might be able to override his nature in the event of an emergency, God cannot and will not violate the essence of His being. He is just.
The worst possible prayer for Christians would be to beg God for Him to give us what we deserve. A just God has to judge our sins and if that meant we get what we deserve it is bad news for us.
Our just God provided a way to honor another part of His DNA. He is as merciful as he is just. God gave the ultimate sacrifice of His Son on the cross to satisfy His justice and His mercy.
Reflections:
1. How do we respond to not getting what we deserve from a just God?
2. As imitators of Christ, how do we imitate His justness?
Scripture
About this Plan
Jesus taught us that to follow him, we must often live opposite to our culture; he turned the rules upside down. This 12 day devotional dives into what it means to live Upside Down in a kingdom that isn't definied by race, status, circumstance, gender, or geography, but by a love of Christ. Can we really live a life surrendered to the prayer "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"?
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