Justice: A Plan for KidsSample

Story

Have you ever wondered why God asks us to treat each other fairly? Look at lions in the wild . . . they hunt down gazelles and tear them to shreds! That doesn’t seem fair to the gazelle, does it? Or what about cute little seals? If you are a baby harp seal, your mom will stay with you and care for you for about 12 days after you’re born, and then she leaves you forever. Imagine if your mom did that! That doesn't seem fair! As human beings, which hopefully you are one if you’re reading this, there is something about us that is different than animals, something unique inside of us that says, “Yeah, that’s fair,” or “Hey, that’s not fair!” 

Being able to see what is fair and unfair is a great thing, and like we said yesterday, something that God cares so much about! In the Bible, there are so many stories of God’s chosen people, Israel, treating others really badly and unfairly. This made God really mad. So why did they do it?

Bible

“The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it. Then both of them knew things they had never known before.”—Genesis 3:6–7

Think

When God created Adam and Eve, He told them what was good and bad, what was right and wrong. But they were tricked into choosing for themselves what was good and bad. And they chose wrong. This is what we call sin. Even today God tells us what is right and wrong through the Bible, but a lot of times we still like to choose that for ourselves. And because we are sinners, we sometimes choose wrong.

That’s why throughout the history of the world, even in churches, there are some people who think they are better, or more important than others. So, they treat people badly or unfairly. Even as Christians, there are times when we do things that seem good for us, even if they're unfair or bad for someone else. Sin is the reason that wrong exists, that bad things happen, that people are treated unfairly. But God is good, God is always right, God is justice, and He has given us the Bible to help us do good, do right, and be more like His Son Jesus. And guess what? Even when we don't get it right, when we make mistakes and choose the wrong thing, God forgives us because He loves us, and He helps us do the right thing through the Holy Spirit.

Do Something

Ask your parents if you can search online to find one person in the Bible who treated other people unfairly. Read the story about them, and tell your parents what you find! Ask them what they think about it!

Pray

Dear God, thank You for giving us examples in the Bible of people who did good and people who did bad. Help me to grow up and be someone who treats others fairly, the way I would want to be treated. Thank You for forgiving me when I don’t treat others right, and for loving me no matter what! Amen.