Social Justice Vs. Justice

Repent and be Baptized for the Forgiveness of Sins

And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

                                                                   (Luke 1:3-14 KJV)

John the Baptist, the one who came to announce to the world that Jesus was the Christ, came calling people to change their ways and to be baptized. They came by the hoards to hear and to be baptized. 

And... they came. They heard the message about what they needed to do in regards to repentance. They heard that they were to do God's will by doing good; by doing no harm against their neighbors. 

Sadly, we (at least I) have been witnessing an uptick these last few years in not so much global animosity; but, crimes against our neighbors. Much of it seems to be out of jealousy; of not getting what we want right now. These store owners are rich so we can take their livelihood by breaking in and looting or burn their buildings to the ground. It is called, by some, social justice.  But, is there justice if a local business loses that business they have built from the ground with much hard work and long hours? Is it justice when the employees lose their livelihood?  Is it justice when a person has no vehicle and has to walk much farther to get to the grocery store or pharmacy or to get to another job? And... just because it may be a big name store that doesn't mean that it's not franchised by a neighbor at a very high cost or that the damage that's done to the business costs their employees their livelihoods as well. Is it justice when an angry person goes out and terrorizes and kills people who they may not even know? Is it justice that those who do harm to others are quickly released just to turn around and do more harm to others?

There seems to be a difference today between social justice and actual justice. The social justice of today isn't always concerned with how innocent people are caught up in the harm that is being done. Harming innocent people in any way is not justice. Real justice does no harm in word or deed.

Unfortunately, some of the harm being done has to do with the media and our government officials just stirring up animosity for ratings or political gain.  

It is past time to hear John the Baptist's call to repent and receive forgiveness for our sins. It is time to turn around and do the will of God; doing no harm. Let us give thanks that through Christ Jesus we can indeed turn around and live life in a new way helping and supporting others rather than destroying them.

God help us all to repent and be baptized into the Body of Christ that we might follow in his way by the power of the Spirit of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Righteousness Exalts A Nation

"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

                              (Prov 14:34 KJV)

I woke up thinking how fortunate we are that we don't live in long ago times where children were killed because they had deformities or were simply not wanted. Oh, wait, we do live in those times. I was thinking about the horrible deaths innocent people suffered because of false accusations or because they were not politically correct. Oh, wait, people do suffer persecution for those things today. Thank God that we no longer kill them by having them disembowled or being pulled apart by horses. 

We have come along way since those times when it comes to justice. We are a bit more humane when it comes to our injustice. But, injustice is still injustice.

Is it justice, does it exalt our nation, to kill children up to moment of birth? Is it justice to accuse someone of a crime and when they are acquitted or the charges dropped completely continue with the accusations as though they were a proven fact in attempts to ruin their reputations? Is it justice to loot and riot, destroying other people's livelihoods and even to the point of taking their lives because what we think should be happening doesn't happen exactly the way we want it to whether it is good or bad? Is it justice to judge and persecute someone because of the color of their skin or because of how much they may or may not have in their bank accounts? Is it justice to judge someone by their sex or their age or even by the color of their hair or the clothes that they wear? Is it justice to judge someone because of the career choices that they have made? The list of injustices; the list of unrighteousness prevalent in today's world goes on and on.

This country is a great country. We have come a long way since its' inception. But, are we not backsliding? I have witnessed more injustice this year than I have seen all together in my lifetime and I have lived quite a few years and have witnessed and lived through much unrighteousness and injustice in those many years.

It is time to move forward instead of falling back to repeat the history that we would not want to relive. We are all sinners. None of us are innocent. Not a one of us will be found righteous by our own works; but, by faith in the only righteous one Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. But, just because we are sinners that does not mean that we should not strive to do what is right so that we might live in peace with the rest of humankind.  

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"                                                                                       (Micah 6:8)

Although our own righteous can never save us; we can and should still seek to be righteous because of our love for the Lord and out of love for one another. In his sermon on the mount Jesus tells us:

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." 

                                                                             (Matt 5:6-7)

Do you want to be filled? The good news is that this same Jesus died in our place so that we might be reconciled to God and to one another in him. Why then do we allow the evil one to divide us through his inspirations to do injustice? 

"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

                                                                              (2 Cor 5:18-21)

If we are ambassadors for Christ, and we are, then maybe we should strive just a little harder to love one another as he loves us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Weep With Them That Weep

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.  (Rom 12:15-18 KJV)

I find myself grieving over the death of George Floyd. I did not know him. I do not have to have known him or anyone else to grieve for him or with others. I do not have to have known him to weep over such a horrific event. It pains me to be reminded that not all of our law enforcement have the public's health and safety as a priority. It pains me to know that there are renegades within our law enforcement system that choose to flaunt their authority and use it to willfully damage and even destroy others.

This is not true of all law enforcement. I know many who work in law enforcement. At one point in my life, I worked in Administration for the Criminal Investigation Division at Camp Lejeune. I am still friends with some of the investigators. They were and are honest men and women with integrity. 

Unfortunately, the saying that bad cops get good cops killed is very true. What could and should be peaceful protests in Minneapolis has turned into rioting and looting that endanger not only good officers' lives; but, the lives of those who are protesting with the desire to have their voices heard in a peaceful manner. Destroying or looting local, privately owned businesses because of one (or four) bad cops definitely comes under the category of  paying evil for evil. It will not bring about peace or any justice in the world. 

On the other hand, I have also known others who have been victims of police brutality and believe it or not some of the victims were white and not all of them were male, either. It is so sad that some of our law enforcement communities end up including officers with so little empathy and very little integrity. They are for sure in the minority. Overall, the officers that I know have a great deal of integrity and empathy. People without those attributes tend to stay away from me; probably, because I have a low tolerance for bullies with big egos and I do not have a problem confronting them myself. But, there is a wise way to confront those who disturb peace and justice and there are ways that escalate the situations. When we confront evil, we must be wise in doing so or even more people may get hurt.

It is time for good cops to start exposing the bad cops to ensure that the people of their communities and they, themselves, are safe.

Many of us grieve today. Although, we did not know George Floyd, we weep that there could still be so much discrimination in the world today. We weep because there is so little peace and all too often not enough justice.

Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans that we are not to be high-minded; thinking that we are better than anyone else. We are to not to repay evil with evil. We are to live honestly so that we might all live in peace and then we shall all rejoice!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Do Not Resist Arrest!

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake." 

                                                                              (Romans 13:1-5 KJV)

Message for the day: If you are asked by an officer of the law to stop; STOP. Do not attempt to flee. Do not resist arrest. Do not assault the officer in any manner; physically or verbally. Just, don't do it! It's not the way to go. It will not turn out well for you or anyone else.

There are ways to peacefully protest. Harming or attempting to harm police officers or civilians who might get in the way is definitely not the way to go. Looting or damaging the property others have worked hard to obtain or maintain is definitely not the way in which a Christian would go.

May God grant us peaceful resolutions and reconciliation. May He help us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Remember that Jesus did not raise a hand to defend himself nor would he allow his disciples to fight when he was arrested.

God's Peace - Pr. J