July 28, 2024

Amos 5.24 (NIV)

“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it.*

We know people who always do what they should. No more. No less. Maybe you are one of those people. Sometimes I’m that person. It can’t be said that we aren’t dutiful and responsible – but that’s not really enough, is it? So how should we define what is enough? 

God’s law isn’t just a list of “dos and don’ts.” It’s about the attitude of your heart. Jesus introduced the concept of “going the extra mile” in Matthew 5.41. When we do what we have to do, we are certainly obeying the letter of the law. When we perform more than just the bare minimum requirement, we are demonstrating that we have made a better choice – and it is likely that our hearts are more deeply involved in the action. 

This is the attitude that God wants us to have in our treatment of others. Treating people justly shows that we are obedient and faithful. But God wants our justice to be lavish – like his. “Justice cannot be a creek that goes dry part . . . of the year. It needs to be year-round, all encompassing.”*

  

Justice is not the same as mercy but God wants our justice to be merciful. “Let it be pure as running waters, not muddied with corruption or whatever may pervert justice.”*

When justice is missing, concern for others is missing.*