Psalm 37:27-33, Nehemiah 12:1-43; Romans 6:17-7:6
Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. Psalm 143:2
Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. 1 Peter 3:18
O God, you have placed us in this world. There is a rebellion going on against your standards of righteousness. We all join that rebellion and alienate ourselves from you, from others and even from ourselves. We thank you for Jesus Christ who reminds us to live righteous lives. Amen.
The Psalm passage contains this verse:
For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Here are some of the definitions of just:
used especially of what is legally or ethically right or proper or fitting;
equitable: implying justice dictated by reason, conscience, and a natural sense of what is fair to all;
fair: free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; or conforming with established standards or rules;
good: of moral excellence;
We know that God loves all of us. But it appears that the Lord makes a point of declaring that He loves the just.
But does being one of the "just" mean simply being a good person and being fair to everyone? Is "just" a being word or a doing word?
It seems to be me that being a just person would automatically lead to doing just things -- to battling injustice in whatever form it presents itself, to making a difference in situations where life, or the world, or our culture, are unjust.
Lord, help me to not only be a just person but to promoting justice throughout my world today. Amen.
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